Love Changes Everything
by majiklmoon
Summary: A redo of Season 2, starting with End of the World. Was it really Future Max, who came back, or was it all just an illusion...or a Mind Warp? The first installment in the Antar to Earth and Back, series.
1. Chapter One End of the World Revisited

This was written in response to the [Departure Debacle][1] contest/challenge at [Majik's World of Fan Fic][2]. My submission is just for fun, since I couldn't pass up the chance to make it all better lol.  
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
  
Chapter One – End of the World – Revisited  
  
Tess was worried. Nothing she did made Max look at her the way he looked at Liz. She picked up a photograph of Max and stared at it intently.  
"There has got to be something I can do," she said to her empty bedroom. "Something that will turn him away from her, to me."  
But no matter how hard she thought she couldn't come up with anything severe enough to make Max fall out of love with Liz.  
"She's such a noble, stupid bitch," she said. "She never screws up, never does anything wrong. She would do anything for Max."  
  
She took the picture that was in her hand, and hurled it across the room, watching with satisfaction as the glass shattered into a thousand miniscule pieces. With a sigh, she used her powers to reassemble the bits of glass. She picked up the picture and started to lean over to place it on her nightstand when an idea came to her. The picture fell, unnoticed, out of her hands, shattering once again, as she conceived of the perfect plan to drive a permanent wedge between Max and Liz.  
  
  
  
Liz sat in her room, writing in her journal, when a tapping at the window caught her attention. She smiled, and went to the window to open it and Let Max into her room. She covered her mouth to contain the scream that threatened to spill out. It was Max, but it wasn't. His hair was so much longer, and pulled back from his face. But it was his eyes that frightened her the most. They were so hard, so dark and uncaring.  
"Liz, it's me, its Max," said the strange apparition before her.  
"Max? No, I don't understand, but you're not Max," said Liz.  
"I am, it's me, I came from the future. There are things I have to tell you."  
"No, you're not from the future, you are some sort of shape shifting alien, but you aren't Max."  
"If I were a shape shifter, there is no way I could tell the future. In about ten seconds, I am going to show up outside your window, serenading you."  
  
Much to her amazement, several seconds later, Max appeared on the street below her window, along with a mariachi band and began to serenade her in Spanish. A bouquet of roses flew from his hand up to her window, changing from red to white in mid-air. Liz, with the help of her father, quickly got rid of Max, and turned to the other Max.  
"Okay, maybe you are telling the truth, why are you here?"  
"I can't tell you much Liz. This is strictly a limited knowledge thing. The more you know, the more danger you could be in."  
Liz didn't say anything for a minute, opened her mouth to speak, stopped and then started again.  
"Max, don't you have anything else to say to me? I mean, you come in here, supposedly from the future, tell me you can't tell me anything else, and I'm just supposed to follow your lead blindly?"  
  
Future Max looked taken aback for a moment, while he paused to regroup and formulate his thoughts.  
"No, Liz, that's not it, exactly. There are things I can tell you, but I may not be able to answer your all your questions. But I can tell you this. Fourteen years in the future, our enemies attack Earth, and we are totally overtaken. I need you to help me change the future. Will you help me?" he asked, holding his hand out to her.  
"I don't know Max, wouldn't it just make more sense to go get you, I mean, the other you, the younger you, and explain it all to him?"  
"NO!" shouted Future Max. "Nobody, especially my younger self can know that I am here. It could put this whole mission in jeopardy."  
Liz took a step back, shocked by his vehemence, and waited for him to continue. Future Max explained about their growing closer and closer, inseparable, allowing nothing to come between them, how badly he treated Tess.  
"It eventually drove her out of town, Liz," he said. "And when she left, we began to fall apart. Michael, Tess, Isabelle and me, we all have different powers. We complimented each other. When Tess left, we weren't as strong. You have to make me fall out of love with you Liz, it's the only way."  
  
I can't. I can't do that. Isn't there some other way?  
"Don't you think if there was, I'd do it? You're not the only one who loses if you do this Liz. If you can convince Max that you don't love him any longer, the man I am, my reality ceases to exist. That means Michael and Isabelle will still have a chance to live!"  
"What?" cried Liz.  
"Twenty five minutes before I came here, I held Michael in my arms as he died. Isabelle died two weeks before that. If you can convince him to fall out of love with you, and turn to Tess, it will erase all of that."  
Liz hung her head in her hands, her body trembling as she struggled to hold back the tears.  
"Is there anything else you can tell me, Max? Anything at all?"  
"No, I've told you too much already, Liz. I can't tell you anything else."  
  
"Max, do you remember the night, you and I went to dinner with Isabelle, Alex, Michael and Maria?" asked Liz.  
"What?" asked Max, started by the apparent change of subject.  
"You know, the night we used your parent's membership at the country club. We got all dressed up. I wore that red dress. You know, the one you love so much."  
"That's right," said Max. "You looked so beautiful. I love it when you wear red."  
"Right," said Liz, smiling. "Anyhow, that night, the six of us vowed that we would do whatever it took to keep each other safe. I guess this is the kind of thing that falls into the category of keeping each other safe. Okay," she said, sitting up. "I'll do it, I'll help you. I love Max, the other Max, but he risked everything to save me. I can do the same for him." Liz stood, and walked away from future Max, missing the feral grin that spread across his face.

   [1]: http://pub129.ezboard.com/fmajiklmoonsrealmfrm47.showMessage?topicID=1.topic
   [2]: http://pub129.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsrealm



	2. Chapter Two A Plan Set in Motion

This was written in response to the Departure Debacle contest/challenge at Majik's World of Fan Fic. My submission is just for fun, since I couldn't pass up the chance to make it all better lol.  
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Two – A Plan Set in Motion  
  
Liz walked down the halls of West Roswell High, and ignored the shouts that filled the air. She stopped at her locker and changed books. She looked around carefully, to make sure she was unobserved. Once she was certain nobody was watching her, she pulled a sheaf of papers from a folder and slipped them into a notebook.  
"Liz, great, there you are," said Maria breathlessly. "I lost my English notebook. Did I leave it in your locker?"  
"Here it is Maria," said Liz, shoving it at her. "You left it at my house. I found your homework in it; your essay on Czechoslovakia had a few mistakes in it. You may want to reread it before you hand it in." She stared intently at Maria and then down at the folder.   
"Oh," said Maria, "The Czechoslovakian essay. Thanks girlfriend, I would have been so screwed if I didn't turn that in. I was in total freak mode when I couldn't find it."  
"Well, it's all found, so why don't you go proof read it again, I circled your mistakes in green."  
"Thanks again, Liz," said Maria, as she hugged her friend. "I'll see you at lunch, okay?"  
"Yeah, maybe," said Liz, distractedly. "Look, I've got to go, I don't want to be late for class.  
  
Liz took off down the hall before Maria could say anything. Maria held onto the notebook tightly, and made her way to the library. She found an empty table in the back of the room, and opened the notebook and pulled out her essay and began to read whatever had Liz so upset.  
Maria,  
_  
I don't care if you read this, but you have to get it to Max as soon as possible. Something really weird happened last night, and he needs to know about it right away.   
  
Liz_  
  
Maria flipped through the rest of the papers, skimming them quickly. Her face grew white as she read what Liz had written. Slamming the notebook shut, she stood up and walked quickly out of the library. She pulled the hall pass that Isabelle had made for her, courtesy of her powers, just in case she got stopped. She walked swiftly down the hall peering in the different classrooms, looking for Max Evans. When she finally located him, she stood outside the classroom door, gesturing frantically, trying to get his attention. After about five minutes of alien aerobics, Max managed to escape out into the hallway.  
  
"Maria," he said. "What's wrong?  
"A lot is wrong," she answered. "Liz was in total weird mode, and gave me this to give to you. Max, you need to read this right away. I think we are in serious trouble," she babbled.  
"Maria, calm down. What did it say?"  
"What do you mean, what did it say? Are you implying that I would read a personal note from Liz to you?" she asked indignantly.  
"Maria?"  
"Okay, okay, I read it, but it's way to weird for me to try and explain. You need to read it for yourself."  
"Come on," he said, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her down the hallway.  
"Where are we going?"  
"To the eraser room."  
"Wait a second Max. You may be a space boy, but you aren't MY Space Boy!"  
  
Max said nothing, but turned and glared at Maria, who quickly shut up and followed Max upstairs and down the hall to the eraser room. Once they were inside, Max used his powers to lock the door behind them.  
"Okay, before I start reading, is Liz alright?" he asked Maria.  
"Physically, she's okay, but emotionally, she's a basket case," said Maria.  
"Tell me everything that happened!" he demanded.  
"Well, there isn't much to tell, I was missing my English notebook. I was looking all over the place for it, but I couldn't find it anywhere. I saw Liz, so I stopped to ask her about it. Luckily for me she had it. Wait a second," said Maria, with a frown. "How did she get my notebook? I'm sure it was in my locker. Max, she broke into my locker!"  
"Maria, focus here, would you?" asked Max.  
"Oh, right, sorry. Well anyhow, Liz was going on about proof reading my English essay on Czechoslovakia, and telling me I needed to read it right away."  
  
"Maria, you're losing it again. What does Czechoslovakia have to do with anything?" asked Max in exasperation.  
"Everything, nitwit," she said, slapping his shoulder. "Czechoslovakian was what we call you when we are talking about you and Michael and Isabelle when we are in public," said Maria, proudly.  
"You call us Czechoslovakian?" asked Max weakly. "I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that it was your idea."  
"Yeah, how'd you know?" asked Maria. "Anyhow, I skimmed through my so called essay, and went into panic mode and found you right away."  
"Thanks Maria," said Max. "You are a good friend."   
  
Max unfolded the papers Maria had given him and began to read. After several minutes, he put them down and looked at Maria.  
"What does it mean, Max?"  
"I'm not sure yet, but we need to get everyone together. Maria can you get a hold of Michael and the others and tell them we'll meet tonight. Damn, where can we meet?"  
"How about in the back room of my mom's store? She's closing early tonight, anyhow. Inventory starts tomorrow. Just how I wanted to spend my Saturday, counting little alien antenna toppers."  
"Maria, you're doing it again…don't you have any cedar oil to sniff or something," groused Max. I really need you to focus right now."  
"Sorry," said Maria, fumbling in her pocket for a vial of cedar oil.  
"Fine, now tell everyone we'll meet at your mom's store around 6:00."  
"Let's see, I'll tell Michael next period," planned Maria. "I can tell Alex at lunch, he can get in touch with Isabelle." She looked at Max to see if he agreed with her plans. When he nodded she continued. "Tess is going to be the hardest person for me to get a hold of. I don't have any classes with her. I suppose Isabelle…."  
"NO!" shouted Max. "Not Tess. We have to keep Tess out of this, but we can't let her know something is up. This has to be a secret!"  
  
Maria backed away from Max, shocked by the anger in his voice.   
"Okay Max, if you say so."  
"Maria, just how well did you read what Liz wrote?"  
"Not very," she admitted. "I just skimmed it briefly, and then came to find you. There was something about an alien who looked like you coming from the future, and Michael and Isabelle dying. As soon as I saw that, I came looking for you."  
"It's bad, Maria, really bad. I have to find Liz. We are so screwed right now."  
  



	3. Chapter Three A Meeting of the Minds

This was written in response to the Departure Debacle contest/challenge at Majik's World of Fan Fic. My submission is just for fun, since I couldn't pass up the chance to make it all better lol.  
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
_Chapter Three -_ A Meeting of the Minds  
  
Max waited outside Liz's advanced English class unit the bell rang. When she walked out the door, Max grabbed her by the arm and pulled her in the opposite direction.  
"We need to talk, Liz," he whispered. "Are you alright?"  
"Relax Max, I'm fine."  
"How long did he stay?"  
"All night, which is why I didn't call you and tell you about him."  
"God, it kills me to think that you could have been in danger."  
"Look Max, I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself," said Liz, yanking her arm free.  
"I know Liz. It's just that we don't know what we're up against yet. I'm can't help it if I'm worried."  
"I know," said Liz, slightly mollified. "So what's the plan?"  
"The plan is, we have no plan, but we are meeting at Maria's mother's store tonight to come up with one."  
"Okay, but I have to work after school, so I may be a little bit late."  
"I'll have Michael bring you over. I don't want you walking around alone until we know what we're up against."  
Liz started to protest, but changed her mind. She knew Max was right, even though she didn't like it very much.  
  
"I've got to get to class, but instead of Michael, why don't I have Kyle bring me to Maria's," said Liz.  
"Oh, shit," said Max.  
"Let me guess, you forgot to include Kyle in all of this," said Liz.  
"I did, but not for the reasons you think," explained Max. "Can you fill him in on everything and get him to bring you to Maria's?"  
"Yeah, I'll tell him."  
"Liz, if he can't bring you to Maria's, call one of us. I don't want you walking around alone."  
"Yes father," said Liz, standing on tiptoe to kiss him passionately.  
Max tightened his grasp and pulled Liz to him. The two kissed passionately for several minutes.  
"Don't you have an elsewhere to be, Mr. Evans? Like my class, perhaps?" said a voice behind him. Pulling away from Liz, Max turned around to see his Physics teacher standing behind him with a smile on his face. "I can understand why you may find your current endeavor to be far more entertaining, however, I do insist that you find your way to my classroom, now!"  
"Uh, yes sir," said Max.  
"Miss Parker, do you have some place you need to be as well?" asked the teacher.  
"Ah, yes, right, I was just leaving," said Liz. "I'll see you tonight, Max?"  
"Okay, remember, don't walk over there alone."  
"Mr. Evans, I mean now," said the Physics teacher who was already halfway down the hall. "If she loves you know, one forty-five minute Physics class won't destroy it."  
"Bye," said Liz, as she turned and stated walking in the opposite direction.  
  
  
"Tell me again why I'm driving you to Maria's?"asked Kyle. "I mean you obviously have to perfectly good, and lovely if I might add, legs to walk on?"  
"It's complicated," said Liz, but Max doesn't want me to be alone until we figure out what's going on."  
"And what is going on?" asked Kyle.  
"I'm not really sure myself, but last night, I had a visitor," began Liz.  
"Please Liz," interrupted Kyle. "Spare me the nocturnal wooings of you and Max Evans."  
"Kyle, don't be such a jerk," laughed Liz. "This is important. Last night, Max showed up at my window, but it wasn't the Max Evans we know. He said he came from the future, and that it was up to me to make this Max, our Max, fall out of love with me. The survival of the Earth depended upon it."  
"Oh please," said Kyle. "What is this, some really bad sci fi television show or something?  
"Kyle, shut up, this is serious," said Liz, still laughing. "It's true, there was someone who looked like Max, and sounded like Max in my room last night. He looked older, his hair had some gray in it, and it was much longer. He said he came from fourteen years in the future."  
  
Kyle pulled the red mustang over to the side of the road. "I can't drive and pay attention to you," he said. "And this sounds like something I really need pay attention to."  
"Yeah, you do," said Liz. "Anyhow, this Future Max told me that when he and I grew, um, closer and, ah, cemented our relationship, it kind of drove Tess over the edge, and she left town."  
"Well, I'm not seeing how that could be such a loss, I mean the chic is hot, but she's kind of whacked," said Kyle.  
"Well, according to Future Max, it was a big deal. Apparently the four of them, Max, Michael, Isabelle and Tess, compliment each other. When Tess left, they weren't a complete unit any longer. Anyhow, I guess some other aliens attacked, and because Tess wasn't with them, they weren't as strong, and both Isabelle and Michael died. He said he came back to convince me to make our Max fall out of love with me. If I could do that, it would change the future."  
  
"Wow," said Kyle. "And you believed him?"  
"Part of me did, but part of me didn't, so I decided to test him," said Liz.  
"Test him? Test him how? I'm guessing essay, because those multiple guess tests are just too easy," said Kyle.  
"Will you be serious, for just once," said Liz, slapping him lightly on the arm. "Do you remember the night all of us went out to eat at that really fancy restaurant? It was such a special night, and I knew Max wouldn't forget any detail of it."  
"And Future Max did?" said Kyle slowly.  
"Not forgot, more like never knew. He agreed with me that we went to the country club that his parents belong to."  
"But his parents only joined the country club last spring, right before Tess," he stopped. "Right before Tess showed up," he continued with a grim smile on his face.  
  
"Right," said Liz. "And he said he remembered that I wore that red dress that he loved so much. Kyle, I don't own a red dress. And he didn't know that you were there either. And the big give away was that he remembered how we all vowed to keep each other safe no matter what."  
"And that night, the only thing we vowed was to not discuss anything like that."  
"Exactly," said Liz. "So I'm pretty sure he's not who he says he is. I know who I think he is, but I'm not sure how. He stuck around all last night, so I couldn't call Max, but I got word to him today."  
"Hence the summit tonight," said Kyle, starting the car and easing it back onto the road. "Well, I agree with what you said, I don't think that Future Max was our Max, and I also agree with Max. Until we know what we're up against, I don't want you left alone."  
"Great," said Liz under her breath. "In less than twenty four hours, I get another father and a big brother."


	4. Chapter Four Plans, Plans and More Plans

* * *

This was written in response to the Departure Debacle contest/challenge at Majik's World of Fan Fic. My submission is just for fun, since I couldn't pass up the chance to make it all better lol.  
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Four – Plans, Plans and More Plans  
  
Kyle and Liz arrived at Maria's mother's shop, and Kyle came around to the passenger side of the car, helped Liz out, and escorted her inside, his hand firmly on her back.  
"Oh God," said Maria, opening the door to let them in. "You told him, didn't you?"  
"What gave it away," said Liz, rolling her eyes.  
"Because he's hovering over you the same way Max, Michael and Alex want to. Girlfriend, when I start complaining about Michael's lack of boyfriend skills, remind me of this day. I am so glad that you got a visit from Future Max, instead of me getting a visit from a Future Michael."  
  
The two girls laughed, and Kyle scowled at them as they walked into the storage part of the store. After everyone got settled with snacks and drinks, Max quickly reviewed everything they knew, and the group began to toss ideas back and forth.  
"What if you just knock him out the next time he shows up?" asked Michael.  
"That's my boyfriend, the master of stealth," said Maria.  
"Michael, get serious," said Isabelle. Can you honestly see tiny little Liz knocking someone the size of Max unconscious?"  
"She's right," said Liz. "I don't know if I'd have the strength to do that."  
"No, she can't," said Kyle, "But we can. We can take turns sleeping on Liz's bathroom floor. That way whoever it is won't see us, but we can be there to protect Liz. Michael or I could probably take the first night," Kyle added.   
"Why you or Michael?" asked Max, jealously.  
"Think Max, use that kingly brain of yours. Michael doesn't have any parents to answer to. I have my dad, but he's already in on the secret. You and Alex need time to come up with a cover story."  
  
"Excuse me," said Liz. "But did anybody thing about clearing this plan with ME?."  
"Well, do you have a better plan?" Maria asked in a reasonable voice.  
"No."  
"Well, there you go then."  
"Okay, I'll take the first shift," said Michael. "I'm supposed to close at the CrashDown tonight, so it will be easiest for me to slip upstairs."  
"Fine," said Alex. "Now that we have that settled, does anybody have any theories about who is behind all of this?  
"Tess," said Maria and Liz at the same time."  
"Tess," said Michael.  
"Tess," said Kyle.  
"Yeah, me too," said Alex. "Max, Isabelle, what about you?"  
"I don't know," said Isabelle. "I'm having a hard time accepting the fact that it could be Tess. I mean, she is supposed to be my," she paused.  
"She was supposed to be your friend," continued Liz. "Another girl who know exactly what you've been going through all these years."  
"Exactly," said Isabelle. "But I have to admit, I think it's her as well. Max, what about you?"  
"I'm not sure. I guess I just don't want to believe that she'd betray us that way."  
"Well believe it Maxwell," said Michael. "Because it looks like she is."  
  
"Okay, now that we've got the who, let's move onto the how," said Kyle, looking at his friends. They all responded by looking at him blankly.  
"Well, that was helpful," said Alex.  
"Can any of you change your appearance in such a drastic way?" asked Liz.  
"No," said Max. "But she has been learning how to use her powers all her life. Damn! If we only knew what was in that book we found last year. I know I should be able to read our language, but I can't. It's like it's right there, on the edge of my memory, but then it slips away again."  
  
"Would you be willing to let me have a look at it?" asked Alex. "Maybe I can work some sort of program up on the computer to help us."  
At Max's skeptical look, he continued. "Come on Max, it's worth a shot."  
"He's right Max, said Isabelle. "He can't do any worse than we have."  
"Fine," said Max. "When we leave here, Alex, come back to my house and I'll show you what we have.  
"Well, I have to stay here and start inventory," said Maria. "Does anybody want to help?" she added hopefully.  
"I'll help," said Isabelle, unexpectedly. "What?" she said to the stunned room. "It's better than the time I helped her wait tables."  
"Fine," said Max, a bit resentful at having everybody else making decisions. "Alex, can you give me a ride back to my house, so I can leave the Jeep with Isabelle? And would you mind if we dropped Liz home too?"  
  
"It's okay Max," said Liz. "Kyle can give me a ride home. It won't look as if I'm trying to convince you to fall out of love with me if you drive me home. That's what I'm supposed to be doing, remember?"  
"Well, yeah, but,"  
"No buts Maxwell," said Michael. "Liz is right. But it wouldn't be a bad idea if you and Alex took a swing by the CrashDown and caught them."  
"I suppose," said Max, ungratefully.   
"Kyle," said Alex quickly, hoping to head off anymore potential problems. What's your game plan for tonight?"  
"Nothing big," said Kyle, casually. "Drop Liz off, swing home, and then stick to Tess, like glue if I have to."  
"Do you think that's wise, Kyle?" asked Max.  
"No, but do we have a choice? We all think she's behind this, this just seems like the best way to find out for sure."  
"I don't like it," said Max.  
"That's okay, since I don't recall asking if you did," snapped Kyle.  
  
"Look, as much as I'm enjoying the testosterone fest," said Maria, stepping between them. "It's got to stop, now! You two need to chill out. Max, Kyle is right, we need to know what the witch is up too."  
Kyle looked at Max and smirked.  
"And Kyle, Max is right, it's too dangerous for you to stick close to her," Maria continued as Max smirked right back at Kyle. "Oh God! Will you two cut it out before you resort to sticking your tongues out at each other."  
"Maria's right, you two are acting about as mature as kindergarteners. We don't have time for that crap. I have an idea anyhow. Kyle, instead of sticking to her, why don't you tail her."  
"Tail her?" Kyle asked incredulously. "Who do you think I am? My father?"  
"Kyle!"  
"Alright, I'll do it, but if I'm going to play stakeout, I need to swing by the store and pick up some Ho Ho's first."


	5. Chapter Five I Spy With My Little Eye

This was written in response to the Departure Debacle contest/challenge at Majik's World of Fan Fic. My submission is just for fun, since I couldn't pass up the chance to make it all better lol.  
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
I Spy, With My Little Eye  
  
Kyle drove Liz back to the CrashDown, followed by Michael, on his motorcycle.  
"I feel like a part of a presidential motorcade," Liz groused.  
"Stop your bitching, Liz. For some reason, Tess, or whoever it is, has targeted you. We have to keep you safe until we know what's going on."  
"I'm sorry," said Liz. "I'm being a real jerk. The thing is, if this were happening to Maria, or Isabelle, I'd be the same way towards them."  
Kyle parked the car, and the two walked towards the alien themed restaurant owned by Liz's parents. They walked through the door to be greeted by her very harried father.  
"Lizzie!" shouted Geoff Parker, over the din of the very crowded restaurant. "Agnes went home sick, can you fill in for her?"  
"Uh, sure Dad, just give me a minute to run upstairs and change," she said to her father, as she surveyed the crowded room. "Kyle, why don't you come upstairs too, and I can give you those chemistry notes."  
  
Kyle and Liz ran up the stairs to the Parker's apartment. Kyle checked the room, and the rooftop before Liz went in to change. As she dressed, Liz shouted through the door. "Did you see her down there?"   
"Yeah," said Kyle. "Sitting in that corner booth."  
"How about if you stay here and watch her. I'll tell dad I was supposed to tutor you tonight, and that's why you're hanging around."  
"It sounds good," said Kyle. "But do I really have to study chemistry?"  
"Well, it might help, come finals time," laughed Liz as they walked down the stairs to the restaurant.  
  
Liz walked over to the register where her father was working and found out what tables she should cover. She grabbed a pitcher of water and explained to her father that Kyle was supposed to be tutored by her that night. "Do you mind if I set him up in that back booth, Dad?" she asked. "That way I can help him during the lulls?"  
"No problem, Lizzie," said her father. "I'm sorry to cut into your date like that.  
"Dad, it's not a date," said Liz, blushing a little.  
"I know, I know, your seeing Max Evans."  
Liz looked out of the corner of her eye and saw Tess approaching the counter. She took a deep breath and took the plunge. "Actually, Dad, I don't think I'll be seeing Max much longer. I don't want to get too serious at my age." She turned quickly and moved to a nearby table to fill the water glasses, but not before she caught a glimpse of the slow smile forming on Tess's face.  
  
Kyle sat in the back booth, pretending to study, but instead, watching Tess return to her seat. He jumped a little, when a plate full of food was placed on his table, nudging his notes out of the way.  
"I know why you're here," said Geoff.  
"Y-you do?" stammered Kyle.  
"Yes, I do," said Geoff in a rather imperious tone. "Liz told me she was cooling things down with Max. I think it's great that you are being a friend and trying to keep her mind off of everything."  
"Yeah, well, Liz is a good friend," said Kyle. "Besides, I can use all the help I can get in chemistry."  
"Enjoy the food," said Geoff. "Liz will be over when it slows down.'  
Kyle watched as Liz's father made his way back over to the register, and slumped down in his seat. He slipped his cell phone out of his pocket and punched Max's number into it.  
"Hey," he said when Max answered. "Tess is at the CrashDown, so I stayed here. Liz came up with a great cover story about helping me study."  
Is Liz okay? Max asked.  
"Yeah, she's fine," Kyle said. "She told her dad that she was trying to cool things off with you, though."  
What! Max, yelled through the cell phone.  
"Relax Evans. Tess came up behind her while she was talking to her father. I think Liz knew she was there, that's why she did it."  
What's Tess doing now?  
"Looking very much like Sylvester after he just ate Tweety Bird. Hang on a second, here comes Liz." He passed the phone to Liz and said in a loud voice that it was Maria on the phone.  
  
"Maria?" Liz said into the phone.  
Liz, it's me, said Max. Kyle told me what you told your dad about us cooling things off. Are you sure Tess heard you?  
"Judging from the expression on her face, I'd say yes."  
Good thinking Liz. Listen, Alex and I are still going over things, so I'm not going to stop in there tonight. You be safe, and keep Michael or Kyle close to you at all times. And Liz, I love you.  
"Yeah, me too," said Liz, a goofy grin on her face. "Bye." She disconnected the call and handed the phone back to Kyle.  
"My shift's almost over, if you want to head out," she said.  
"Maybe I'll go see if Tess needs a ride home," he said. "Not that she'll accept, but it might give me a chance to see what she has planned.  
"Be careful, Kyle," said Liz.  
  
Kyle walked across the restaurant floor and slid into the seat across from Tess.  
"Hey, Tess."  
"Hey Kyle," said the blond girl. "What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy here?"  
"Uh, yeah, because drinking a cola takes a lot of effort," said Kyle.  
"Did you want something Buddha Boy, or are you just here to make my life miserable?"  
"Actually, I'm just about to head home, and I thought I'd do the polite thing and see if you wanted a ride."  
"Now why would I want a ride with you," she said coolly. "I do have my own car you know."  
"Just being neighborly," he said. "And try to be quiet when you come in tonight. "I gave up my bedroom for you, but I don't have to give up my sleep too."  
"Goodbye Kyle."  
  
Kyle made his way to the door, motioning to Liz to join him. She walked up to him, and he reached out and pulled her a little bit closer.   
"Make this look semi convincing, will you?" he whispered. "Not too passionate, just like I'm giving you a nice friendly supportive comforting hug."  
"You jerk," Liz giggled. "Is she watching?"  
"Oh yeah, she's practically climbing over the booth trying not to miss anything.  
"Great, lets make sure she sees this." Liz stood on tiptoe and pressed a gentle kiss on Kyle's cheek. "Kyle, be careful out there, don't let her see you."  
"I'll be alright Liz, you watch out too. Keep Michael close. Well, not too close, or Maria will totally freak," he said as he opened the door and stepped out in to the cool New Mexico night.  
  
  
Liz drew all the curtains in her room, isolating it from the outside world until Michael was completely settled. She quickly changed, opened the curtains, and sat down to write in her journal. Fifteen minutes later, she heard a soft rapping at her window. She unlatched it and slid it open, and Future Max slipped into the room.  
"How did it go, did you make any headway convincing him today?" he asked urgently.  
"A little, but it's so hard," said Liz. "You better move away from the window, in case he comes by tonight and tries to convince me not to break up with him."  
"Liz, you have to do more than break up with him," said Future Max. "You have to make him hate you. He has to totally despise you."  
"How will we know if it works?" asked Liz.  
"If you make Max fall out of love with you, it will change the future I belong to. In essence, I will cease to exist. But I'm willing to make that sacrifice."  
  
"What was our life like together?" asked Liz wistfully.  
"You know I can't tell you that," said Future Max.  
"Why not. If that future isn't going to exist anyhow, why not tell me about it."  
"We eloped when we were 19," said Future Max.  
"But that's so young."  
"That's what I said, but you said that Romeo and Juliet were younger than we were. So we drove to Vegas and got married in an Elvis chapel."  
"So we didn't even have a real wedding?"  
"Oh it was a great wedding." "You called everyone and they met us at some sleazy bar in Phoenix. We danced all night. At the end of the night, I shall Believe came on and we danced once more. After that, it was always our song."  
  
Liz glanced at the clock next to her bed, it read 1:57, she wanted this thing, this apparition out of her room.  
"I'll think of something. I gave you my word, and I meant it. But you have to get out of here before my parents come upstairs."  
"Alright," said Future Max. "I'll be back tomorrow night, you can tell me what you came up with. Liz, I know this is hard. It's hard for me to. I'll never love anyone like I love you, but Earth is depending on us." He paused at the window. "Thank you Liz," he whispered as he climbed out. Liz waited a few moments to make sure he was gone; the she shut the windows and closed the curtains once again.  
  
"Michael, come on out, he's gone."  
"What do you mean, he's gone. He was never here, was he?  
"What are you talking about Michael? I just talked to him? Didn't you hear us?"  
"Us? No, I didn't hear an us, I heard a you, talking to yourself, but that's about it. I looked out the door and everything, but Liz, you were in the room by yourself."  
"Michael, he was here, I swear it!" said Liz, trembling "He told me about our wedding and everything. Oh God, am I losing my mind?"  
"Liz, relax, your not losing your mind. Something is going on, and I have no clue what it is, but you are not losing your mind."


	6. Chapter Six Come Together, Right Now

  
Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Six – Come Together, Right Now  
  
Michael sat up all night, watching over Liz, but nothing else happened. He woke her as the sun began to rise over the horizon.  
"Liz, I need to get downstairs, I'm supposed to work the morning shift today. Do you want me to call Kyle, or Alex to come over here and hang with you?"  
"No Michael," said Liz, wiping the sleep from her eyes and pushing her sleep-tousled hair from her face. "We don't know how long Kyle was up, watching Tess, and Max and Alex were working on the book last night. Let them sleep."  
"I'm not leaving you alone Liz, we can't take any chances."  
  
Liz sighed, raised her arms above her head and stretched. "Fine, I'll get dressed and meet you downstairs and help you open, will that work?"  
"Okay," said Michael, settling down on the bed.  
"Michael, what are you doing?"  
"Waiting for you to get ready," said Michael.  
"Oh, God!" said Liz in exasperation. She jumped off the bed, grabbed some clean clothes from her dresser and stormed into the bathroom. She emerged several minutes later, scraping her wet hair into a ponytail. "The next time you use my bathroom, pick up your soggy towels and put the lid down," she growled.  
"I see someone is not a morning person," said Michael.  
"Shut up, I'll meet you downstairs. Go put the coffee on."  
  
Michael climbed down off of the fire escape leading to Liz's room and walked around to the front of the café, to find Alex, Max and Kyle standing outside the door, waiting for the café to open. Michael jogged down the short stretch of sidewalk to where the other's stood.  
"Glad to see I have such a following for my cooking," he joked.  
"Oh yeah, like that's it," said Alex. "Can Liz come down and cook for us? I so want to keep the lining of my stomach intact."  
"Loser," said Michael, cuffing him lightly as he made his way to the door. "Why are you guys here, anyhow?"  
"We need to have a meeting of the minds," said Kyle.  
"Don't you mean a meeting of the mindless," quipped Liz as she walked into the restaurant.  
  
Max, Kyle and Alex sat down in a booth, while Michael went into the kitchen to get the grill heated. Liz quickly made some coffee and grabbed the first cup for herself. Filling three other cups, she brought them over to the table. She waited until the guys had their first sips before asking, "So why are you here, really? You all can't have Liz sitting duty, can you?"  
"Liz, what time did Tess leave here last night?" asked Max.  
"I'm not sure," she said. "Shortly after Kyle did, I think. Why?"  
"Michael!" Max yelled across the still empty restaurant. "Did you see Tess leave last night?"  
"Yeah, she took off right after Kyle left. Why?"  
  
  
Max looked around and motioned to Michael to abandon the grill and join them at the table. Max waited until Michael joined them before telling them what happened.  
"When Kyle left here, he called Alex and me on his cell, and we took turns talking to him, while he watched the CrashDown. After about two hours, he figured he missed her, so he drove home."  
"I talked to Max, all the way home, because I was tired, and didn't want to fall asleep while I was driving," continued Kyle. "When I got home, it was about 12:50, Dad was just going to bed, but he asked me if I knew where Tess was. Now this is where it really gets weird. I went to bed, but I never disconnected my call to Max."  
  
Liz looked at her three friends. "Is there a point to this?" she asked, because as entertaining as it is, I'm just not in the mood for a bedtime story so early in the morning."  
"It gets much more interesting Liz," said Alex. "Like Kyle said, he forgot to hang up the call. Max's phone was just sitting on the desk, when I heard Kyle's voice again. I figured he was just talking in his sleep,"  
"So of course, you picked up the phone to eavesdrop," said Liz, laughing.  
"Well, yeah," said Alex. "Wouldn't you? Anyhow, I heard Kyle asking somebody where they had been for so long. Then I heard Tess's voice saying she'd left right after him, and that they talked in the parking lot. Then she told him that she went over and helped Maria and Isabelle with the inventory at Maria's mom's store."  
"What!" said Liz? "No way! Kyle, did she leave with you?"  
  
"I don't know, Liz," said Kyle, clearly upset. "I remember everything she said, so clearly, yet, Max and Alex said I spoke to them for a few hours on my cell. And Alex said he heard all that stuff on the cell. I don't know what to think."  
"Wait a second, said Liz, her finger's drumming absently on the side of her coffee cup. "I feel like I'm remembering something. Damn, why can't I remember? Wait a second!" she yelled and ran out of the restaurant and flew up the stairs leading to her family's apartment.  
"Hi Mom, Hi Dad!" they heard her call. "Yeah, Michael's got the grill going, and it's pretty dead down there, so why don't you hang up here. I'll shout when we get busy." There was silence for a few minutes, followed by the uncommon sound of Liz Parker thundering down a flight of stairs.  
  
"I found it," she said, excitedly.   
"What?" said Michael. "What did you find? Don't tell me you lost your journal again?"  
"No, but I did find something in it. Do you remember last spring when Pierce caught Max, and took him to the White Room?" She waited while the others nodded. "Well, how did we get him out?" she demanded.  
"Well, we managed to sneak into the facility," began Michael, and Nesedo taught me how to manipulate my fingerprint to resemble some other agent, so we could get in."  
"Right," said Liz. "Go on, then what happened?"  
"I – we, uh, I'm not sure. It all happened so fast, it's all kind of a blur."  
  
"Right, I can't remember either, and I bet you, neither can anybody else," said Liz. But when Max and I hid in that old delivery van, I wrote down everything on some paper I found. Max told me about Isabelle dreamwalking him, and how she told him that Nesedo was coming. To get Pierce alone and agree to go along with whatever he wanted. Then Max told me what Pierce wanted; he wanted the orbs to work. Max told him he'd do it. And all of a sudden, they worked. I had hypothesized that Tess made Pierce think the orbs worked. When we got home, and everything settled down, I remembered about the scraps of paper. When I read them over, most of it seemed like a dream, but I transferred them to my journal anyhow."  
  
"I don't get it," said Kyle. "What does this have to do with anything?"  
"No, wait," said Max, drumming his fingers on the table. "I think she's on to something. I swear, I remember Tess telling me how she made Pierce think that the orbs worked. But it seems like a dream."  
"Just suppose," said Alex, "That Tess does have the ability to make people think they are seeing things that aren't there, or just messing with their minds in general."  
"Right," said Michael, picking up the thread. "If she can make people think something, why can't she make people forget something too?"  
  
The teens looked at each other, a growing sense of horror showing on all their faces as they realized the extent of Tess's deception. They had their who, now they had their how. Now they needed to find out just how far Tess was willing to go to continue her deception.


	7. Chapter Seven Hell Hath no Fury

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Hell Hath No Fury  
  
"Okay, so everybody knows what their doing?" said Max, looking around the booth.  
"Yeah," said Kyle. "I think I'm okay with my part in this."  
"Great Kyle," said Max. "Do me a favor, just don't get too into your role. Alex, what about you?"  
"Yeah, I think it's going to work Max. We made a lot of progress last night. I'll work on it some more this afternoon."  
Michael?" Max looked at his second in command.  
"I'm on it. I'll hide up in Liz's room again tonight, just in case we're wrong, and Future Max is real."  
  
"Great," said Max. "Liz, you know what you have to do, right?"  
"Yeah, I all set," she said, playing nervously with her hair.  
"What about Maria?" asked Alex.  
"We'll fill Maria and Isabelle in on everything as soon as possible," said Max.  
"It's not going to be pretty," said Michael.  
"You're right," agreed Max.   
"When she finds out what Tess did, she's going to go ballistic. She's going to want to destroy her right away."  
"Guys," said Kyle. "Don't you think you're underestimating Isabelle? She'll handle this. She's not going to overreact like that."  
"Isabelle?" said Michael with a laugh. "We're not talking about Isabelle, we're talking about Maria.  
  
  
  
"Morning Chica," said Maria. "Sorry I'm late, but counting those stupid alien autopsy kits took forever. "But you are never going to believe who showed up to help us"  
"Tess," said Liz, wiping down the counter of the empty restaurant.  
"Yeah," said Maria, her voice dejected. "How'd you know?"  
"She wasn't really there," said Liz.  
"Yeah she was," said Maria, her confusion showing on her face.  
"No, she wasn't Maria."  
"Trust me Liz, she was there. In fact, if I didn't hate the bitch so much, I might even be glad she showed up to help."  
"Maria, do you remember when you wanted me to tell you about Max. I made you promise not to freak out."  
"Liz, what does this have to do with anything?"  
"Well, do you remember?"  
"Yeah, of course I remember," she said, giving Liz a look that said D'uh as clearly as if she had said it.  
"And what did you do when I told you?" asked Liz.  
"I, well, I freaked out," Maria mumbled.  
"What's that Maria, I couldn't hear you?"  
Maria looked up at Michael, who was leaning through the pick-up window, clearly enjoying the exchange. "I freaked out," she said clearly. "I ran screaming into the street, okay!"  
  
"Okay, now that we have that out in the open, I want you to promise me that when I tell you this, you will remain perfectly calm. No running, no screaming, no killing. Do I have your promise?"  
"Liz, girlfriend, you are seriously losing it. What could you possibly tell me that compares with that?"  
"Promise me, Maria," said Liz, insistently.  
OK, fine, I promise. Now tell me what's going on?"  
"Tess has the ability to modify our memories. We knew this at one time, and she erased it from our memories. She made me believe that I saw Future Max, and to cover her tracks, she made you and Isabelle believe that she helped you do inventory last night," said Liz in one big rush.  
Maria took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. "Okay, so what you are telling me is that stupid bitch has basically been messing with our minds the entire time we have known her?"  
"Well, yeah," said Liz. "Maria, you're taking this really well. I'm really impressed. Maria? Wait! Where are you going? Michael, stop her!"  
  
Maria crossed the floor of the café, storm towards the door. "That stupid lying little tramp. I'm going to kill her. I am going to take my hands, and wrap them around her scrawny neck and squeeze the life out of her!" she raged. "Michael Guerin, let me go. I'm going to kill her!" she screamed at Michael, who had rushed to the door and was restraining her.  
"Maria, listen to me," said Liz. "You have got to calm down. We're going to stop her, but this isn't the way. Do you hear me Maria?"  
Maria stopped struggling, and began to relax. As she did, Michael relaxed his grip and Maria broke free and started for the door again."  
"Maria! Will you chill?" yelled Liz.  
"Okay, Okay," said Maria. "I promise, I'm fine now. Liz, explain everything to me again, very slowly. I want to make sure I understand everything."  
  
In between waiting tables in the now busy café, Liz and Michael filled Maria in on what had occurred in Liz's bedroom the night before, and on Kyle's experiences as well.  
"Man Liz, I'm sorry," said Maria. "Here I am ranting and raving over nothing, you're the one who has to deal with all this crap. I can't believe she would do something like that. Why?"  
"I don't know Maria," said Liz as she grabbed an order off of the counter. "I mean, I love Max, and I'd do anything for him, but what she's doing is just unexplainable."  
"Well, she's not going to get away with it," said Maria. "What do you need me to do?"  
"Stay calm," deadpanned Michael.  
"Shut up, Michael. I'm serious."  
"So am I Maria. The last thing we need is for you to go off half-cocked."  
"Michael, look at me, I'm calm. I'm the epitome of calm," said Maria, balancing a tray of glasses on one hand to show how steady she was. She looked up and saw Tess stroll into the restaurant, and the tray and glasses went crashing to the floor."  
  
"Oh sure," laughed Liz. "Real calm, Maria. Don't worry, I'll take care of her." Liz pulled out her order pad and walked over to the booth occupied only by Tess.  
"Hi Tess," she said. "Do you want to order now, or are you waiting for someone?"  
" Now please," said Tess, politely. "There isn't anything edible at the Valenti's, and I'm starving." Liz smiled and wrote down the girl's order, marveling at her ability to project such a sweet and innocent persona."  
"That will just be a few minutes," said Liz. "Did you want your drink now, or with your meal?"  
"Oh, now," said Tess, looking around the café. "What's wrong with Maria? She looks like she's a wreck?"  
"Oh, I think she counted one to many alien antenna toppers. She told me how you stopped by to help her last night. That was really thoughtful of you Tess." She turned to go put in Tess's order, but not before she caught the look of smug satisfaction that shown in Tess's eyes.


	8. Chapter Eight Set Up

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Eight - Set Up  
  
"Are you okay, Liz?" Kyle asked.  
"I'll be fine, now will you hurry up and get undressed," she shouted through the bathroom door.  
"You think I'm going to be jealous of Kyle?" Future Max.  
"Yes, now will you turn around, I need to get undressed. She reached to unbutton her shirt; paused, made sure the shower curtain was completely closed, and then finished removing her top. She wrapped a towel around her, slipped her pants off and opened the bathroom door.  
"Stay out of sight," she whispered, and stepped into the bathroom. She climbed into bed with Kyle, and adjusted the covers so that they hid the towel from view.  
  
  
Kyle and Liz talked softly while they waited. Several minutes later, they heard a scraping noise and Max Evans appeared in the window of Liz's bedroom. He took one look at the couple, dropped the Gomez concert tickets he had been holding, and disappeared from view.  
"Max!" Liz cried softly, but he was gone. She buried her face in Kyle's shoulder and wept.  
"Liz," Kyle began. "Liz, are you alright?"  
"Get out Kyle," said Liz. "We did what we set out to do. Max Evans will never look at me again. Now just get your clothes on and get out of my house. I can't even look at you right now," she said bitterly. Kyle quickly threw his clothes on and exited Liz's room via the balcony.  
  
As soon as he was gone, the bathroom door opened and Future Max stepped into the bedroom. "I have fought a thousand battles, but watching you do that was the hardest thing I've ever done."  
"I hurt him," said Liz. "I could have very well destroyed him."  
"You didn't, he's strong, but what you did, you are stronger. He'll survive; we'll all survive because of your strength Liz Parker. Maybe this is for the best."  
"What do you mean?" Liz said through her tears. "How could something so painful be for the best?"  
"You and Kyle, maybe you and he will have a chance now."  
"How can you say that? There will never be anyone who can take the place of Max Evans in my heart. Dance with me," said Liz suddenly.  
"What?"  
"Dance with me. I want to have my wedding dance. I deserve to have it."  
  
The two stepped out through the window onto the rooftop. Liz stepped into Future Max's arms and the two began to dance to the music from Liz's cd player under the starry night sky. After several minutes, Liz realized she was dancing alone. She lowered her arms, and wiped the tears from her eyes. She waited several minutes, surveying the streets below. She climbed back into her room and opened the bathroom door. "You can come out now," she said. The shower curtain slid open and Michael Guerin stepped out of the bathtub.  
"You really ought to do something about that unsightly soap scum, Liz," he said.  
"Shut up, Michael. "Even though it was all an act, that was the hardest thing I have ever done."  
"Did it work?"  
"Yeah, Max showed up right on cue. It was perfect. Wait, what was that?" Liz asked, her face worried.  
  
Michael grabbed Liz, and threw her into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. He stood in her room, in front of the door, with his arm raised.  
"Wait. Don't shoot, it's me," said Kyle, sticking his head back in the window.  
"Jesus, Valenti," said Michael. "I could have killed you."  
"Well, thanks for not doing that," said Kyle. "I think it really would have bugged my Dad if I had died again. Where's Liz?"  
"Oh shit," said Michael. He threw open the bathroom door. "Liz, you can come out, it's only Kyle."  
"Ow!" said Liz. "I banged my head on the sink when you threw me in here, Michael.  
"Sorry," said Michael, unrepentantly. "But I wasn't sure who it was, and Max wanted me to protect you at all costs."  
"Protect, Michael, not maim. There is a difference you know," said Liz, rubbing the swelling bump on her head gingerly.   
  
Liz ran downstairs to grab some tonics, and some ice for her head. She signaled Maria to come upstairs when her shift was done and climbed the stairs back up to her family's apartment. Liz carefully held the cloth filled with ice up to her head. "Michael, the next time you go to save me, please don't," she said. "And don't say sorry, because I know your not. But thank you."  
"Your welcome. Now, onto more pressing business. Do you think she bought it?"  
"Yeah, I'm positive. Future Max said all this stuff about how strong I was, and how maybe this was all for the best. And how maybe Kyle and I could have a future together."  
"Well she certainly is trying to tie up all her loose ends," said Kyle, bitterly.  
"What do you mean?" asked Liz.  
"Tess and I were, uh, well we had contemplated reaching a certain stage of enlightenment together," said Kyle. "I guess she just wants to make sure I'm not going to try and mess things up between her and Max."  
  
"Kyle," what happened when you left?" asked Michael.  
"I slipped into the CrashDown and checked with Maria. She said Tess she saw Tess get into her car over by the UFO Museum. I looked out and she was still there, sitting in her car, so I made a big show of getting in my car and driving away. I circled around the block and came back around just as she was pulling away. I followed her to the park, where she found Max. When I left, the two of them were sitting on a bench."  
"That works," said Liz. "The image of Future Max disappeared about ten minutes after you left. I guess she wasn't powerful enough to make her mind warp thing work from a distance." Liz stopped talking to answer the phone in her room, which had begun to ring. Beyond hello, she didn't say anything at all. When the call had ended, she hung up the phone and turned to Kyle and Michael.  
"That was Alex," she said. "He and Isabelle made a major breakthrough on the book. They think they have it decoded."  
  
"Well, what are we sitting here for?" demanded Michael. "Let's get over there."  
"We can't, Michael. We're supposed to wait here for Maria, and Max is supposed to call us here, and let us know if it's safe to get together. For all we know, he's still with Tess," said Liz. "Alex said he and Isabelle will be over as soon as they can. But Alex did say that we needed to put on some platinum. He didn't explain why, he just said to do it as soon as possible."  
"Platinum?" asked Kyle. "Like isn't that the stuff they make nuclear bombs from?"  
"That's plutonium, Kyle," explained Liz. "Maybe you really should have read my chemistry notes the other night."  
"Platinum, plutonium, it doesn't matter. Where are we going to get it?"  
"As much as I hate to agree with Kyle," said Michael. "He's right. That stuff is expensive."  
"When my Grandma Claudia died, she left me all her jewelry," said Liz. Her wedding set was platinum, and so was my grandfather's wedding ring. We can use that for now. She got up and went to her jewelry box and removed three rings. She slipped her gave Kyle and Michael a wedding band each, and slipped her grandmother's engagement ring on her finger. As she did, she felt the blood rush from her head, and she collapsed on the floor at Michael's feet.   
  
"Liz! Liz, wake up," she heard a voice say from a distance. "Wake up Liz. Can you hear me?" Kyle's voice faded in and out, as she struggled to regain consciousness. She felt as if she were swimming upward, through inky black water. Struggling, she broke the surface and opened her eyes. Michael and Kyle were leaning over her, with concerned looks on their faces.  
"Liz, what is it, what happened?" asked Kyle.  
"I remember," she said softly. "I remember everything she did."


	9. Chapter Nine The Destiny Book

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Nine – The Destiny Book   
  
"Max, are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" asked Tess.  
"No, Tess, really, I just want to be alone," Max replied.  
"Max, I just can't leave you alone when you are like this," Tess said, solicitously. "Why don't I just sit here with you, and if you decide you want to talk, I'll be here to listen."  
"You're a good friend, Tess." The two sat silently for several minutes, looking at the sky. Max reached over and picked up Tess's hand and held it tightly.  
"Have you ever believed in something so much, only to have it ripped away?" he asked her.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Like when you were little, and believed in Santa Claus. Didn't it just destroy you when you found out he wasn't real?"  
"Max," said Tess. "I grew up with a shape shifting alien taking care of me. Santa Claus was not a part of my life."  
  
"Okay, bad example," said Max, a sad smile on his face. "Have you ever had a friend who really let you down?"  
"Max, you, Isabelle and Michael are the first real friends that I have ever had. But I don't think that you could do anything that would ever hurt me." She looked at Max, and wrinkled her face up a little bit.  
"No, Tess, you are right," said Max. "There isn't anything that you could do that would ever upset me." Max released Tess's hand and put his arm around Tess's shoulder and pulled her to him tightly.  
"Don't worry Max, everything will be okay," said Tess.  
  
  
"Where is he?" asked Isabelle. "Why hasn't he shown up yet?"  
"Maybe he couldn't get away from Tess," said Alex. "I mean, maybe he's playing it up to really make it work good."  
"And maybe that evil beast is messing with his mind," said Liz. "We have to do something."  
"I'll go," said Michael. "Kyle, you said they were in the park?"  
"Yeah, the one off of Wilson St."  
"What are you going to say?" asked Maria.  
"I don't know," said Michael, climbing out the window, but I'll think of something."  
"Wait," said Liz, slipping the ring off of her finger. "Give him this as soon as you get him away from Tess."  
"Don't worry Liz," said Michael. "I'll bring him back."  
  
Michael drove down the dark streets of Roswell. He turned down onto Wilson St. As he approached the park, he saw Max's Jeep and Tess's car in the parking lot of the playground. He pulled in, and parked his bike and started walking through park, looking for Max and Tess. Wandering down a path, he found them seated close together on a park bench.  
"Hey, Max, Tess," he said sitting down next to Max.  
"Uh, Michael," said Max. "Tess and I were kind of talking."  
"Yeah, look, I'm sorry to interrupt, but your parents called my place looking for you. Your mom said something was up and she needed you home."  
"Oh Max," said Tess. "Do you want me to go with you?"  
"No Tess," said Max, giving her a loving look. "I'll walk you to your car. You go on home. We'll get together tomorrow. Thanks for everything. Talking with you really helped a lot."  
  
The two walked Tess back to her car and watched as she drove away.  
"Michael, what exactly did my mother say?"  
"In a second, Maxwell. Here, I want to give you this," Michael said, holding out the ring.  
"Michael, I don't know what to say," joked Max. "This is all so sudden."  
"Max, do me a favor, shut up, sit down, and slip this on your finger."  
"All right, but I'm telling you, I'm saving myself for the wedding night," said Max as he sat down on a nearby bench. He slipped the ring on his finger, and grabbed his head.  
"Oh my God!" he shouted. "What the hell did she do to me?"  
"I'll explain later," said Michael. "Come on, let's get your Jeep home. Slip around the back of your house and go through the neighbor's yard in case Tess is watching. I'll be waiting for you around the block."  
  
Max climbed on the back of Max's bike, and the two sped off down the street towards Liz's apartment. They scaled the fire escape and climbed through the window into Liz's bedroom where the rest of the group was assembled.  
"Oh good, pizza," said Max. "I'm starved all of a sudden."  
"Yeah, we know, we all were," said Alex. "Apparently one of the side effects of breaking Tess's mind warp is an insatiable hunger."  
"What happened, how did you figure it out, and more importantly, why did Michael give me a diamond ring?" asked Max.   
"Well, first, everything went according to the plan," said Kyle. "Right after you took off out of here, Tess followed you, and the vision of Future Max disappeared."  
  
"Wait," interrupted Max. "Liz, what happened to your face? Did Tess do that somehow?"   
"Oh, that," said Liz, gingerly touching the bruise on her face. "No, Tess didn't do this, Michael did."  
"What!"  
"He was trying to protect me. He heard someone climbing up the fire escape, and he shoved me into the bathroom. I fell and hit my face on the sink."  
"Was it Tess?"  
"No," said Michael. "I saved her from Kyle."  
Max reached a hand out to Liz, and the two walked across the room to her bathroom. Inside, Max shut the door. He put his hand on her face and healed the bruise. As he did, he saw flashes of Liz's time with Future Max, and felt the pain she felt at deceiving him, even though it wasn't a real deception.  
"He was right you know," Max said.  
"Who was right?" asked Liz.  
"Future Max, when he said you were strong. You are strong Liz Parker. You are probably the strongest woman I have ever known. I am so incredibly lucky to have you in my life." He kissed her gently. "You have done so much to protect us. I owe you my life."  
  
"Hey, you two, either get a room, or get out here!" shouted Michael. With a sigh, Max and Liz ended their kiss, and went back into Liz's bedroom.  
"So what do we have?" asked Max. "And why did everything Tess did come rushing back to me when Michael put this ring on my hand?"  
"The band of the ring is made of platinum," said Alex. "Platinum somehow blocks the signals she sends out when she is trying to mind warp us. Actually, what it does is makes us aware of what she is doing. The first time you put it on, you get this incredible blast of memories back. It's really powerful.  
"And you know this how?" asked Max.  
"The Destiny Book," said Isabelle. "Alex decoded it."  
"Alex," said Max. "That's excellent man. What else did you find out?"  
"Everything," said Alex. "I know everything about you that you could possibly want to know."


	10. Chapter Ten Destiny Revealed

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Ten – Destiny Revealed  
  
"You four, are capable of far more than we imagined," said Alex. "The more you use your powers, the more they grow and develop. It's amazing. And you should know, that holographic image of your mother you saw, well it was a fake."  
"What!" cried Isabelle. Seeing that image of her mother gave her comfort. It was something for her to hold onto in the dark lonely night.  
"Well, the image was real, that's what she looked like," said Alex, reaching across to take Isabelle's hand in a gesture of silent comfort. "But everything she said, was implanted in our minds by Tess. Reach back in your mind to that time, and you will hear what your mother really had to say."  
  
Isabelle thought back to that time in the pod chamber, where her mother told them of their lives on their home planet, and of the great war, and how their essence was cloned and mixed with human DNA and sent to Earth. She thought harder, and she could hear her mother's voice, but the words shifted and changed, until their meaning became clear.  
  
     I am taking this form because it is familiar to you. Our world is in the midst of a great civil war. You, my son Zan, were destined to rule our world, but you were murdered, as were your sister, Vilondra, and your closest friend and second in command, Rath, and his sister, Ava. The four of you were inseparable on Antar. You grew up together and were the best of friends, and I consider you all my children. _  
     Your essence was mixed with human DNA to make it stronger, to ensure that you could survive on Earth. It is my hope as your Mother that you will survive, to someday find your way back to us, but if that never happens, I take great joy in knowing that my children were given the chance to live again.   
     But beware my children, you were betrayed by someone close to our family, be cautious, for the evil may follow you. When your essence was merged with the human DNA, two sets were created. Our enemies were able to tamper with one of the sets, and they then mixed the two sets together. We were unable to tell which four were the ones we had chosen to send to Earth. Rather than take the risk of destroying the wrong set, we sent both to Earth.   
Each set was sent with two protectors to watch over them. Listen to your protectors, for they will be able to teach you about our world. Let them guide you, my children. They will help you, and are there to do your bidding. Do not grieve for a world you do not know, my children._

      If you find your way back to Antar, you will be welcomed with open arms, but if you remain on Earth, know that all I want for you is to live long and healthy lives. _  
The time will come when you fall in love. Any children you may have will have your gifts and abilities. Guide your children well, as I would have guided you if I only had the chance. I love you._  
  
     Isabelle opened her eyes and saw everyone staring at each other with varying looks of shock and amazement on their faces.  
"There was no destiny, was there?" asked Liz, bitterly. "You weren't destined to be with Tess, she was your childhood playmate, not your betrothed."  
"She's my sister," said Michael. "She knew how badly I wanted family, and she kept it from me. Why would she do that?"  
"Who knows why she's done anything?" asked Max. "But at least we know she's doing it. Alex, what else did the book say?"  
  
"It lists all the powers you had on Antar, including Tess's mind warping ability. But apparently, that power was often used for evil purposes on Antar, so they developed a way to block it.  
"The platinum," said Kyle.  
"Right," said Alex. "Hey, I'm hungry, is there any more pizza left?" Maria passed him a slice of pepperoni, and he continued his dissertation. "The book teaches you how to develop your powers, but basically, I think the things you can do are endless. Once you tap into your powers, I mean really tap into them, they will grow exponentionally.   
  
"What else?" asked Michael.   
"Well, you know how your powers always go all freaky when you are upset?" asked Alex. "Apparently it happens on your planet to a lot of people. Your powers are centered in your brains. You basically are using parts of the brain that we don't use. But even though they are centered in your brains, they are emotion driven. Once you learn to control your emotions, you can control your powers."  
  
"I'm sorry," said Maria. "But Michael controls his emotions. Half the time you can't even tell he has any."  
"There's a difference between controlling, and containing," said Alex. "It's kind of like the stuff Kyle does with his meditating. It brings him into focus. There are exercises in the book to help with that."  
"Really," said Kyle. "I wouldn't mind giving those a try."  
"You are more right than you know," said Alex. "Max healed both you and Liz. When he did, he sent a burst of power into your bodies that accelerated the development in your brains. There is a huge chance that you will start to develop powers as well."  
"There is just so much to absorb," said Liz. "I don't even know what to think about first."  
  
"Well, I think the first thing we need to think about is Tess, and why she is doing what she's doing," said Michael.  
"Michael's right," said Max. "She obviously has her own agenda. We need to find out what it is."  
"But how?" asked Isabelle.  
"We should go along with her," said Liz. "She thinks she broke Max and I up, and she thinks Max has turned to her. Let's play along. If what Alex says is true, we can tell when she tries to mess with our minds. We can play along for now. That way she won't get suspicious."  
"It should work," said Max. "Is everybody agreed?" The group looked at one another and one by one they nodded.  
  
"The first thing we have to do is get some more platinum," said Isabelle. "And that costs money."  
"Well, I don't like doing it, but we can change some money to buy what we need," said Max. "Alex, what you did, it was great. I can't believe you figured out the book. How did you do it?"  
"Well, it wasn't easy, but it wasn't hard either," said Alex. "I took what we did the other night and fed it all into my computer. I went back out to the reservation with Isabelle, and we searched the cave and we found some more symbols, so we copied them down and put them into the computer. Then I scanned the images in the book in as well. Isabelle helped me write a program to assign a numeric value to each symbol, and from there, we assigned a letter value."  
"Never mind," said Max, holding up his hand and laughing. "It worked, obviously. When you can figure out a way to translate everything you just said into English, then you can tell me."  
  
One by one, the group climbed out the window, until only Max and Liz were left in her room. Max slipped the ring belonging to Liz's grandmother off his hand and knelt down on one knee in front of Liz. He took her hand in his and looked up into her beautiful eyes.  
"Liz Parker. You are my world, my life. If I do have a destiny, it is you. I can't imagine anyone I would rather spend the rest of my life with. Liz, will you marry me?" he asked as he slid her grandmother's engagement ring onto her hand.  
  
"Oh Max," Liz said softly. There isn't anyone else I would rather spend the rest of my life with. You gave me back my life, and let me look into your soul. We belong together." Max stood up and wrapped her in his embrace and the two kissed passionately. Pulling away, Liz walked over to her bed and grabbed a comforter off of it. Taking Max by the hand, she led him out through the window and onto the rooftop. They spread the blanket on the ground, and knelt down on it.  
"Are you sure?" asked Max.  
"More sure than I have ever been in my life Max," Liz whispered. They lay down on the blanket and cemented their love under the star filled sky.


	11. Chapter Eleven The Day After

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Eleven – The Day After  
  
The sun peeked over the horizon, lighting the city of Roswell with a dusty pink glow. Liz sighed and snuggled into her bed, allowing her body to relax underneath the warm covers. Slowly the fact that her mattress was rock hard penetrated her sleep-fogged brain.   
"Max, move over, the bed isn't very comfortable," she mumbled. A few seconds later she sat upright, knocking the covers from both herself and Max.  
"Max, Max, wake up," she whispered urgently. "Max, come on, it's morning. You can't be here!"  
"Shit," said Max, coming awake. "I didn't mean to fall asleep like that."  
"I know, me either, but you have to get out of here before anybody realizes where you are," Liz whispered, urgently.  
  
Max pressed a quick kiss to her lips and swung over the side of the roof and climbed back down to the street. Liz quickly climbed back into her room and crawled under her covers. There was a soft knock on her door, and her mother stuck her head in.  
"Liz, are you awake?"  
"Hunh? Oh, yeah Mom, what's up?" asked Liz, feigning sleepiness.  
"Nothing Sweetie, I know it's your day off, but I was wondering if you could come down and help me set up for breakfast? Agnes called in sick again, and Maria can't do it all by herself."  
"Oh, sure Mom," said Liz. "Just give me five minutes to shower, and I'll be right down."  
"Thanks Liz," said Nancy. She reached down and took Liz's hand in hers. "You are a such a good daughter. Liz, what's this?" she asked looking at the ring on Liz's hand.  
"Oh, uh, I was missing Grandma Claudia a lot last night, so I was just going through her stuff. I guess I forgot to take it off."  
"Oh Liz," said Nancy, pressing Liz's hand to her cheek. "I know you miss your grandmother. We all do, she was a wonderful, vibrant woman. But she wouldn't want you to spend your life mourning her."  
"I know," said Liz. "It was just a one time thing."  
"Okay Sweetie. Don't forget to put the ring away before you come downstairs. It's old, and very valuable."  
  
Liz waited until her mother was out the door, and jumped out of bed. Rummaging through her jewelry box, she found a silver chain. She put the ring on the chain and fastened it around her neck. She showered quickly and put on her uniform and ran down the stairs. She passed through the kitchen where Michael was frying rashers of bacon on the grill.  
"What's up with Maria?" she asked.  
"She and Isabelle are going on a platinum shopping spree when the jewelry store opens," he said softly. "She'll be as soon as she can, with stuff for all of us."  
"Great," said Liz. "I just got busted for wearing my Grandma's ring."  
"Yeah, Maria figured you wouldn't want to wear that on an everyday basis. Shit, what's she doing here?"  
Liz turned around and saw Tess sitting down at the counter.  
  
"Hi Tess," she said, walking over to the counter. "Um, we're not quite ready to serve yet. I guess we all slept in."  
"That's ok, Liz," she said. "I don't mind waiting. Is there any juice or something I can have while I wait?"  
"Sure, hang on," said Liz. She poured Tess some juice and placed the glass on the counter in front of her.  
"On second thought," said Tess. "I think I want some bacon and eggs, right away." As she spoke, her face scrunched up. Liz looked at her, and smiled. "Sure thing Tess. That will be just a second."  
  
Liz slipped back into the kitchen and passed the order to Michael. "It worked," she whispered. "She's trying to mind warp me into serving her bacon and eggs before the grill was ready."  
"Well, we can't disappoint the little bitch now can we," said Michael passing his hand over the bacon. He quickly added two eggs to the grill and used his powers to cook them. He placed everything on a plate and handed it to Liz.  
"Here you go," said Liz. "Fresh off the grill. Sorry you had to wait."  
The bell over the door rang as the door opened and Max Evans stepped inside. Liz started to move forward to greet him, but quickly stopped herself, remembering that they were not supposed to be together any more.  
  
     "Liz," he said brusquely, nodding in her direction. He pushed past Liz and sat on the stool next to Tess. "Morning," he said, smiling at her. "Hi Max," Tess practically simpered. "I had a great time last night."  
"Yeah, me too," said Max. "At least some parts of it were more enjoyable than others," he added, looking at Liz.  
"Max, you really should just forget about her," said Tess, her face contorting slightly.  
"Forget about who?" asked Max with a smile. "I already have, Tess. I started forgetting about Liz the first day I met you. I've always felt drawn to you, but I tried fighting it for a long time, but you were right all along. We belong together. Michael!"   
"What Max," said Michael, his disgust at Max's behavior evident on his face.  
"Tell Maria," he began.  
"I'm not your freaking messenger service," snapped Michael. "Tell her yourself."  
"Fine," ground out Max. He grabbed Tess by the arm and escorted her out the door of the CrashDown.  
  
     "Hang on," he said to Tess as they walked to his Jeep. "I left my keys inside. I'll be right back." He turned and jogged back into the CrashDown.  
"Liz, are you alright," he whispered as he made a show of looking for his keys.  
"Yeah," she whispered. "I love you."  
"I love you too. Tell Michael. We all need to meet tonight at the UFO Center. I'll come up with some really lame reason, but it's really to give us a chance to interact together with Tess and see if she's on to us."  
"Okay, look, you better go, she's watching through the window." She knelt down and pretended to pick up Max's keys and hand them to him.  
"Max, did you mean it, last night I mean?" she asked, referring to his proposal  
"With all my heart. Did you?"  
"You are my heart," Liz replied.


	12. Chapter Twelve Are they Live, or Are the...

"Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Twelve – Are They Live, or Are the Memorex?  
  
Alex rushed into the UFO Center and started to run down the stairs. He stopped turned and looked back to see Michael, Isabelle and Tess dressed in what could only be Halloween costumes.   
"Hey guys," he said in between laughs. "Nobody told me we needed costumes for today. "Are we going undercover or something?"  
"Yo!" said Rath. Alex looked past the oddly dressed threesome through the large plate glass window that looked down onto the main floor of the UFO Center. There he saw Max, Liz, and Maria, along with Isabelle, Michael and Tess. He stammered for a second, and then took off at a run down the stairs.  
"You guys!" he shouted. "You aren't going to believe what I just saw!"  
"You're late, Alex," began Max, but he stopped, speechless at the sight of the three others following Alex down the stairs.  
  
"Oh my God," Maria whispered to Michael. "I knew they existed, and I figured you'd find them sometime, but not like this." Michael took Maria's hand in his and squeezed it tightly.   
"Don't say anything," he whispered.  
"Who are you?" asked Max.  
"D'uh, we're you," said the Michael look alike.  
"I don't get this?" said Isabelle.  
"Hey, chill," said the Isabelle clone. "Don't get all freaky on us. We're like the same as you, ya know?"  
"There were eight pods," said Michael softly, remembering back to his meeting with Hal Carver several weeks before. Hal had been involved with the crash in 1947, and in essence, was responsible for the survival of the four podsters.  
  
"So you know about that, huh?" asked the Michael doppelganger.  
"All we knew is that there were eight pods originally. We didn't know what happened to the other four," said Max.  
"New York," said the copy of Michael.  
"Yeah, the Big Apple, New York, the place where it's at!" said the Isabelle clone.  
"But there are three of you," said Liz.  
"Yeah, we had our fourth, but we lost him."  
"His name was Zan," said the Tess look alike, finally speaking.   
"I'm Max. What happened to Zan? How did you lose him?  
"It was stupid," said the Michael clone. "I mean the dude had like these powers ya know, and he died in a street accident. Yo! I'm Rath."  
"Lonnie," said the Isabelle clone.  
"Ava," added the Tess look alike.  
  
"I'm Isabelle, and that's Tess," said the Isabelle.  
"And that's Michael, and this is Liz, Maria and Alex, they're our friends."  
"Yo, look, I need to talk with you. Somethin's up. Somethin that's gonna effect us all," said Rath to Max. Max nodded and led Rath into another area of the UFO Center.  
"So, what's up?" asked Max  
"Yeah, see, there's this thing cookin, and we got the 4-1-1 on it," said Rath. "We got a message from some dude's from the home world, and they wanna hook up with the Royal Four."  
"The home world?" asked Max. "You mean where we came from originally?"  
"Yeah, see these dudes want to hook up and talk about chillin. Zan was gonna represent us. That's why we need you."  
"Well, I'll need to talk to the others," said Max. He motions to Rath and they walk back into the main part of the UFO Center.  
  
"So, there were two sets of us?" asked Isabelle.  
"Yeah, like they screwed up and didn't get one of the sets quite right, so they made another set. But things in the home world were so screwed up that they sent both sets to Earth. It was a whadda ya call it, a worst-case scenario thing," explained Lonnie.  
"So what? You guys were the defective ones, right?" asked Michael.  
"Ah, no!" said Rath. "That would be you four. You are like way to human to exist in the home world. But hey, no hard feelins, huh?"  
"Were the four of you together from the time you came out of your pods?" asked Max.  
"Yeah, man, we were tight. We were together from the beginning. Me and Zan, we were like brothers. Zan, he was the MAN, ya know what I mean?" said Rath. Max nodded, and turned to look at the others. Isabelle and Lonnie were sequestered on the staircase talking, while the others talked with Ava.  
  
"Okay, well, we obviously have a lot to discuss," said Max. "Do you guys have a place to stay?" he asked the New York contingent.  
"Yo! What? You sayin we can't crash at your crib?" Lonnie asked Max from across the room. "Don't worry, it's cool. I'm guessing your crib is way to Mayberry for us anyhow. We got us a place to stay, no sweat. There's a no-tell motel outside of town. We'll crash there."  
"Fine," said Max, a bit abruptly. "We'll meet up tomorrow morning and let you know what we've decided.  
"Do us all a favor, leave them here," said Rath, pointing at Alex, Maria and Liz. "We don't need them screwin with us."  
"We'll see you tomorrow," said Max firmly, herding them towards the stairs.  
  
Max followed them up the stairs and made sure they left the UFO Center. Once they were out of site, he went back downstairs to find his friends staring at one another silently.  
"What do we do now, Max?" asked Tess, finally breaking the silence.  
"Damn it, I don't know," said Max, turning on her in rage. "Why does everybody expect me to have all the answers?" Liz kicked him surreptitiously, and he quickly wiped the look of annoyance off his face. He reached over and took Tess's hand in his.  
"I'm sorry Tess," he said. "It's just seeing them really confused me. To see another you, and Isabelle and Michael, well it was a bit unnerving. And then to find out that the other me died, well it really made me question my mortality."  
"That's okay, Max," said Tess, smiling sweetly. "You're right. It was really strange. And I know that you'll come up with a solution."  
  
"What I think is that we should all get the hell out of here before Brody shows up," said Michael. "We should all just back off and give Max some space to think about this," he continued. "He'll tell us his decision when he's ready." Michael looked around the room and saw his friends staring at him with varying degrees of shock and amazement at his pronouncement. "What?" he said. "I can't think logically once in a while?" he asked.   
"Well, yeah, I guess you can," said Maria. "But you picked now?"  
"Yeah, well it seemed like a good time," said Michael. "Max is looking a bit freaked. Why don't you guys head out? I want to talk to Max alone for a minute? Liz, can you tell your dad I'm running late, and I'll be in as quick as I can?  
"Yeah, sure Michael," said Liz, as she and Maria and Alex headed for the stairs.  
"Come on Tess, I'll drive you home," said Isabelle, and they followed the others up the stairs and out of the UFO Center.  
  
"You're entitled to think logically?" Max asked sardonically, once they were alone.   
"It was weak, I know, but it was all I could come up with," said Michael.  
"No wonder we lost the war," Max quipped. "What do you think?"  
"I don't trust them," said Michael.  
"No, me either," agreed Max. "Can you get everyone to meet out at the quarry tomorrow morning? Just after sunrise?"  
"Yeah," said Michael. "But by everyone, I'm assuming you don't mean Tess.  
"No, definitely not Tess," said Max. "The six of us can figure everything out tomorrow, and then we can tell her what we think she needs to know."  
"Sounds good," said Michael. "I have to get out of here and get to work if I want to keep my job."  
"Tell Liz I'll call her later," said Max.  
"Sure thing," said Michael bounding up the stairs. Halfway up, he stopped and turned back and looked at his friend.  
"Hey, Max!" he said.  
"Yeah?"  
"Word! You are the Man!" he said," he said raiding his fist.  
"Shut up, Michael," Max laughed as he watched his friend leave the building.

Majik's World of Fanfic Crossover Contest. Mix your fics, come on, you know you want to!


	13. Chapter Thirteen On The Edge

This part is way to short, but how could I not resist the cliffhanger   
  
"Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: _PG-13 – possibly to R_  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Thirteen – On the Edge  
  
Max pulled into the quarry, relieved to notice that everybody else was waiting for him. He quickly pulled Bob the Jeep in next to Michael's motorcycle and killed the ignition. Climbing out, he walked over to where the others were standing.   
"I'm sorry I'm late," he said. "Tess decided to surprise me and show up for breakfast. She tried playing her little mind games on me, but luckily, the phone rang, and I was able to tell her something important had come up."  
"Who was on the phone?" asked Isabelle.  
"Me," said Max with a grin. "I used my cell to call the house."  
"Well, aren't you just the clever king," said Kyle. "Let's get to the important stuff. Did you remember to bring the donuts?"  
  
Max grinned and walked backed over to the Jeep and pulled out two boxes of donuts from the local donut shop. "I know they're not Krispy Kreme's," he said. "But it was the best I could do." The others laughed and dug into the donuts and hot coffee that Max had brought with him and sat in silence and watched the sun rise over the rim of the quarry. When the sun finally broke over the tallest sandstone outcropping Max began to speak.  
"Tess tried to convince me to ally myself with Rath and Lonnie," he said. "She wants us to go to New York with them and attend the summit."  
"All of us go to New York?" asked Isabelle. "How does she expect us to pull that off?"  
"Not all of us Isabelle, just her and me, along with those three freaks."  
  
"Max, I don't like it," said Liz. "You being alone with them, and with her, well it just scares me."  
"Liz is right Max," said Michael. "I want to go with you."  
"You can't Michael. I need you here to keep everybody safe."  
"What, and you're saying Alex and I can't manage that?" snapped Kyle.  
"Kyle, against any human, I know you'd do anything to protect them, Alex too. But you know that our enemies aren't just human. If Michael and Isabelle stay here, you guys will have a fighting chance if something does happen."  
"Do you think anything is going to happen Max?" asked Alex.  
"No, not really, but we should all be on our guard. I think it's a little strange the way the three of them just showed up out of the blue like that," said Max.  
"Okay, then, we'll watch our backs," said Alex. "Have any of you gotten any signals from Ava that she is trying to mess with our minds?"  
  
Liz stood up and walked a short distance away from the others. She stood on the edge of the cliff that overlooked deep ravine filled with water. "Ava isn't like them," she said finally. "She's different somehow. I can't explain it, but she's different."  
"Are you saying we should trust her?" Maria asked, her voice incredulous.  
"No, not trust her, but I talked to her the other day, and I got the impression that she didn't want you to go back to New York with them. In fact, I got the impression SHE didn't want to go back to New York either."  
"Maybe we can use this," said Max. "But first we need to decide about New York."  
"I don't want you to go," said Liz, her voice trembling a little.  
"I agree with Liz," said Maria  
"Me too," Alex and Isabelle said simultaneously.  
  
"Wait a second," said Max firmly. "You guys aren't thinking clearly."  
"Watch it Max!" snapped Maria. "I'm thinking as clearly as you, maybe more."  
"Okay, bad choice of words. You are thinking emotionally, not logically. Emotionally, II don't want to go, but logically, I know it's the right thing to do. Now step back and think about it logically."  
Liz caught her lower lip between her teeth for a moment and said, "Max is right. If they have a way to make contact with your home, you owe it to yourselves to find out everything you can."  
"Maria?" asked Max. She said nothing, but nodded.  
"Kyle?"  
"Yeah, I see what your saying, we need to search our inner selves to find the truth deep within us."  
"Kyle, spare me the Buddha crap. How do you vote?"  
"Go, and can you get me a Yankee's cap while you're there?"  
"I'll see what I can do," said Max, with a smile. "Alex, what do you think?"  
"I say go."  
"Michael and Isabelle, that leaves you. What do you think?"  
"I don't like it Max, but I don't see where you have any choice," said Isabelle.  
"Do it," added Michael. "It seems like our best chance to get information.  
  
"Okay then, I'll tell them yes," said Max. "Now about Ava, what should we do with her?"  
"Max, wait," said Liz. "Promise me something. No matter what, don't tell them about the granalith. It's too important. Don't let them know about it."  
"I won't Liz, I promise," said Max, startled by her vehemence.   
"I mean it Max," said Liz looking at him intently and backing up as she spoke. "They can't know about it."  
"Okay Liz, I promise," said Max. "I won't say LIZ!" Max looked in horror as Liz stumbled and slipped over the edge of the cliff they were standing on.


	14. Chapter Fourteen Future Max Returns

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
**Rating**: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Fourteen –Future Max Comes Back   
  
"Liz!" shouted Max, holding out hand in the direction where Liz had disappeared over the cliff. Michael rushed past him and threw himself on the ground, hanging over the edge of the cliff.   
"I can almost reach her," he gasped. "Max, keep it up! Kyle, Alex, get over here and help me." Kyle and Alex rushed to Michael's side and looked over the edge of the cliff. Without another word, they grabbed Michael's legs and lowered him further over the edge.  
"Okay, I've got her," he grunted. "Pull me back, slowly." Kyle and Alex backed away slowly from the edge of the cliff, dragging Michael with them. Inch by inch the eased back and Liz slowly came back into view. Michael gave one final tug and Liz landed firmly on solid ground.  
"Liz!" cried Maria, breaking free from Isabelle's grasp. "Oh my God, Liz, what happened?"  
  
Liz sat on the ground, gasping for breath, her face deathly white. She tried to speak, but couldn't form the words. Instead, she sat on the ground, shaking uncontrollably.  
"Max?" asked Michael, his voice filled with awe. "How did you do that?"  
"Do what?" asked Isabelle.  
"There was like this force field kind of thing, it caught Liz," said Kyle. "Max you saved her life, again." Max didn't say anything, and knelt down on the ground and took Liz into his arms. He pushed her hair off her face and held her tightly.  
"Liz, can you talk to us now?" he asked. "What happened?"  
"F-Future Max," she whispered. "He was here, talking to me. It was him."  
"But how, how could he appear. I thought he was supposed to disappear once you convinced me not to love you anymore. And how is Tess doing this to you? Aren't you wearing your ring?"  
"My mother reminded me to put it away last night. I didn't want to make her suspicious, so I put it away. I forgot to put it back on before I left this morning," Liz said.   
  
"Do you think this means she's on to us?" questioned Isabelle.  
"We'll worry about that later," said Max, firmly. "Liz, what did Future Max have to say?"  
"He said that he was just an image that was programmed to come back from the future to remind me how important it was to stay away from you," she said. "He said he programmed the image to come back even before he came back to see me. He said it was important for me to remember that the lives of everyone he loved depended on me keeping you away from me, and keeping him a secret. He told me again how important the granolith was and that I should keep it a secret. I just couldn't seem to separate him from you, and that's why I kept backing away, and the next thing I realized, I was falling. Max, how did you stop me?"  
  
"I'm not sure," Max admitted. "It's sort of something I've been working on. Tess is really big on talking about our past lives on Antar, and according to her, Zan could make this kind of protective force field. Up to now, I haven't been able to do it very well. I didn't think about it, I just reacted, and it worked."  
"God, it was amazing," said Michael. "Like some giant green glowing spider web. I wonder what else we are capable of?"  
"I'm sure there are more answers in the book," said Alex helpfully. "There are still some parts of it that I haven't translated."  
"Can you get on it right away?" asked Max.  
"Yeah, as soon as we get back to town. But what are we going to do about Tess? I mean do you think she knows we are out here, or was this just some random warp she did on Liz?"  
  
"It doesn't matter either way," said Max. "We need to do damage control. Did any of you get any feeling she was trying to warp any of you?" They all shook their heads and Max continued, "I didn't, so I'm guessing she just targeted Liz. Let's head back to town and I'll hook up with her and try to spin this to our advantage. I'll take her with me to meet Rath and the others so we can plan our exit."  
  
The group started towards their cars and prepared to head back to Roswell. Max reached out and held Liz back. Once the others were out of earshot, Max fished into his pocket and pulled out a ring. He took Liz's right hand in his, and slipped it on her finger and kissed her. "I want you to wear this, all the time, Liz. Don't ever take it off. It's for your protection. The band is made of solid platinum. Liz looked down at the ring, and the hand it was on and tried not to frown. She remembered the promises she and Max had made to each other.  
"Thanks Max," she said softly, her heart breaking a little.  
"And this," he said slipping a necklace with a platinum floating heart with a diamond in it's center around her neck, "Is because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I wanted to get you an engagement ring, but I didn't think your parents would react very well."  
"You're probably right," said Liz, beaming at him. "It's beautiful," she said, looking down at the heart. "I love it, and I love you."  
  
  
Max pulled the Jeep up to the curb where Tess stood waiting for him. He killed the ignition and waited while she climbed in.  
"Sorry I took so long," he said grumpily. "Remember that phone call I got this morning when you were at my house. Well, it turns out, it was Liz, trying to pull a fast one on us. She got everyone together for an emergency meeting to try and convince me not to go to New York with you."  
"Oh Max," said Tess. "Why does she hate me so much? I never did anything to her. She was the one who hurt you so badly."  
"Forget her," said Max. "She's nothing to me anymore. A fact I made sure she realized once and for all. Now come on, lets go meet the others and tell them we'll go to New York with them."  
  
Max started the Jeep and he and Tess drove off to meet with Rath, Lonnie and Ava. Over breakfast, Max and Tess told them they'd return to New York with them.  
"Righteous," said Rath. "Man you will love kickin it in New York. It's got this Mayberry berg beaten hands down!"  
"Ya, and like there's a million things to do. It is so far away from this nowheresville that you're livin in now, you may never wanna come back," added Lonnie.  
"So, we'll leave tonight then?" asked Max.  
"Yeah, we need to jam. The summit meets on Thursday," said Rath.  
"Great," said Max, trying to act excited. "If we drive straight thru, we may get there in time for Tess and I to see some of the tourist type things."  
"How cornball," muttered Lonnie under her breath. "Yeah," she said with false enthusiasm. "You'se two will love doin that."  
"Pick us up at my place," said Max. "A little after seven tonight. We'll be waiting." He stood up, and through down enough money to cover the bill, pulled Tess up by the hand and walked out.  
  
"Max, wait!" Tess cried. "We can't just leave them like that. We need to make plans."  
"We did," said Max. "They'll pick us up around seven, and we'll go to New York."  
"No Max," said Tess, wrinkling her nose slightly. "We need to stay and talk with them and make some concrete plans."  
"You're right Tess," said Max abruptly. "I guess they just got to me with their Mayberry cornball routine. Tell you what, why don't you go in there and set everything up. I'll wait out here."  
"No Max, I really think you should come inside too," Tess said.  
"Alright," said Max, "But just give me a second, they really do annoy me."  
  
Tess smiled at Max and stood on tiptoe to press a kiss on his lips. Max smiled and watched as she walked back into the restaurant. Max watched through the plate glass window as Tess talked with Rath and Lonnie, her hands moving as she gestured towards the window. Even from where he stood outside, Max could see the malicious glitter in her eyes as she talked. After several minutes Ava stood up and walked outside.  
"Hey," said Ave as she walked out the door.  
"Hey," Max replied.  
"She's going to betray you. You do know that don't you?"  
"No she won't," said Max. "Tess loves me."  
"No she doesn't, she just wants you, and she'll do whatever it takes to get you. But," she added speculatively, looking at him, "You already know what she can do, don't you?"


	15. Chapter Fifteen New York State of Mind

**Disclaimer**:  You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
**Rating**: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Fifteen – New York State of Mind  
  
Max threw his backpack into the waiting car. He reached over and took Tess's bag from her hand and threw it in after his.   
"Get in already, we ain't got all day," shouted Rath. "I wanna get the hell out of this freaky berg and back to the real world. Tess climbed in the car, and Max hung back, waiting for Ava.  
"There's no room," she said.  
"What! What you talking about bitch? There's plenty of room!" Rath shouted. "Now get in the freakin car and let's get the hell out of here!"  
"No, I'm not goin'," Ava said, firmly.  
"Don't give me none of your crap," said Rath, climbing out of the car and coming around to the passenger side. "I said we're leaving, now get in the car and let's get the hell out of this stinkin Mayberry, piece of shit, town!"  
"Cool it Rath," Ava said, calmly. "I said I'm not goin, and I'm not. You don't need me, you never did."  
"Forget her Rath," said Lonnie from the car. "If she wants to stay, let her stay. We got what we need."  
  
Ava watched as Rath stormed back to the driver's side of the car and got in. Max quickly climbed in the backseat, while Rath revved the engine. The tires squealed and the car peeled off down the street. Ava waited until the car was out of site and turned on her heel and walked back toward the center of town. She had walked only about two blocks when a car pulled up beside her.  
"Ava!" a voice shouted from the car. She peered into the car and saw Kyle Valenti sitting in the driver's seat.  
"Hey," she said  
"Hey back," said Kyle. "Max told me to be on the lookout for you tonight. We have a place set up for you to stay tonight. Come on, get in." Ava looked at Kyle distrustfully, but finally gave in and climbed into the car wearily.  
  
"Thanks," she said, leaning her head back against the headrest. "I was beat. That took a lot out of me."  
"Are you alright?" asked Kyle, immediately solicitous. "Do you want me to take you someplace and get you something to eat? Some pizza or something?"  
"Rath is wrong about a lotta stuff," laughed Ava. "But the pizza in New York isn't one of them. N'ah, just take me to wherever you're takin me." Kyle looked over at the alien hybrid, with her sleek blond bob emphasizing her delicate features. His gaze missed nothing, from the ring, piercing her eyebrow, to the three-inch high heels totally unsuitable to walking more than three feet.  
"You know," he said. "It's not that I don't think you have a really unique fashion sense, but you're going to need to blend in a little bit more if you want to fit in here."  
"Yeah, well, who says I'm staying is this stupid Podunk little town anyhow?" Ava railed. "What's so freaking great about Roswell anyhow? It's nothing but dirt and dust!"  
  
Kyle pulled his car away from the curb with Ava ranted and railed against everything Roswell. After several miles, he realized there was silence in the car. He looked over at Ava and realized that she was crying.  
"Hey, come on, I didn't mean anything by it," he said. "Really, you look great, it's just that what you're wearing isn't typical of Roswell. If you're going to stay, I just want to try and help you fit in."  
"I'm not her you know," said Ava. "I'm not Tess. I'm just me, Ava, and I can't be her for you."  
"I don't want you to be her, I want you to be yourself, but I want you to be happy here too, and the people here can be mean. If you look different, or act different, they can make your life miserable. It's kind of like you have a New York state of mind. You need to switch gears and get a Roswell state of mind instead." Kyle took his eyes off the road again and glanced at Ava. "Your still crying," he said. "Why?"  
"Because this is the first time someone has ever cared about me, that's why," answered Ava as she turned her head and looked out the window.   
  
Kyle and Ava finished the rest of their ride in silence. He pulled into the alley behind the CrashDown and climbed out of the car. Jogging around to the passenger side, he opened the door for Ava and waited until she climbed out. The two walked into the back of the restaurant, and through the kitchen to the main part of the café. Liz and Alex bussed tables, while Michael and Maria cleaned the grill. Isabelle sat over by the register, checking receipts. Ava took one look at the alien themed café and burst into laughter. The gang stared, amazed to here such a cheerful musical sound coming from someone who so closely resembled Tess.  
"Hi Ava," said Liz. "I'm Liz, and this is Alex."  
"I know," said Ava. "That's Isabelle, and that's Michael and Maria. Max filled me in on everyone when we talked."  
"Well, we're all glad you decided to stay with us," said Isabelle, from across the restaurant.  
"I'm glad to, but it's kinda scary. They were my family ya know. Leavin them was hard, even though I never really felt like I belonged with them."  
  
Liz looked at her intently, thinking back to the message they had seen from Max and Isabelle's mother. Not he message Tess had wanted them to see, but the real one that was revealed to them after they started wearing the platinum.  
"Go on Ava," she encouraged. "What do you mean?"  
"Well, it's like, some of the things they've done, and like the way they think, well, I just couldn't be like that. They didn't mind scammin people, or stealin, or whatever. If they saw something they wanted, they just took it. I knew it was wrong, but I wasn't strong enough to go against them. I was afraid if I did, they'd just," she paused.  
"They'd just what, Ava?" prompted Liz.  
"Do to me what they did to Zan," she burst out.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Michael. "What did they do to Zan?"  
"It was the summit," said Ava, after much coaxing. "We've been contacted before about the summit, but Zan decided it wasn't a good idea for us to go. He turned em down. Rath and Lonnie were pissed at him, but nuthin they said could get him to change his mind. Rath and Lonnie decided that if they couldn't change his mind, they'd," she paused again, and lowered her head, cradling it in her hands.  
"Come on Ava," said Liz, soothingly, rubbing Ava's back. "You have to tell us. You loved Zan, didn't you?"  
"Yes," she said, nodding. "But he never loved me. Not the way Max loves you."  
"That's right," said Liz. "Max loves me. He risked everything for me, to heal me. I would have died. Now, if you know something important, you have to tell me, so that I can save him."  
"They killed him. Lonnie held me back and covered my mouth so I couldn't scream, and Rath, he shoved him in front of that truck. Then he used his powers to speed the truck up, and it killed him. It killed my Zan!"  
  
Ava cried inconsolably, while the others digested her news.  
"We have to tell Max," said Isabelle. "We have to warn him."  
"I'll call him," said Liz, grabbing a phone. She punched the numbers for Max's cell phone in and waited. "It's ringing," she said. As the phone rang, she became aware of a ringing sound in the café. She looked around and tried to identify the source of the sound. Michael crossed the café to the booth where Max frequently sat. He slid his hand down behind the cushion and pulled out a ringing cell phone. Liz slowly hung up the phone and disconnected the call, and the cell phone stopped ringing.  
"Now what?" she said.


	16. Chapter Sixteen Invisible Touch

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Sixteen – Invisible Touch  
  
"He left his cell phone here," said Liz, blankly. "How could he have done that?"  
"Well, maybe it just fell out of his pocket," said Maria, helpfully.  
"Yeah, or maybe it was helped out of his pocket by that evil mind-warping hell beast," said Alex. A small chuckle escaped from Liz, followed by laughter from Kyle and Michael, and Isabelle and Maria soon followed. Within seconds, the room was filled with laughter that did much to ease the tension that had previously filled the room.  
"I'm guessing you don't like her much," said Ava.  
"You got that right," said Maria.  
"Listen," said Liz, as she contained her laughter. "We can trash Tess later. Right now, we need to find a way to warn Max. Isabelle, can you try dream walking him?"  
"I-I don't know," said Isabelle. "I can't dream walk someone if their awake."  
  
"You did it once before," Michael reminded her as he sad down in the booth where Isabelle was sitting.  
"That was different," said Isabelle. "He was drugged then."  
"Isabelle, you have to try," said Liz. "We don't have any other options." Isabelle nodded and reached into her pocketbook and removed her wallet. Opening it up, she removed a wallet sized school photo of Max and placed it on the table. Isabelle took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, trying to bring her swirling emotions under control. She placed her fingers on the picture, and concentrated on Max. Once she was on the dream plane, Isabelle searched for the iridescent dream bubble that belonged to her brother. She located the bubble, and tried to enter it, but unlike the dream bubbles of people who were asleep, Max's bubble felt as though it was sheathed in steel. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't penetrate it.  
  
"I can't do it," she gasped at last. "I can't get in."  
"Isabelle, you have to keep trying," said Michael. "We have to warn him."  
"Damn it, Michael, don't you get it? I tried. I can't do it!" Across the room, Ava said something softly.  
"What?" asked Kyle. "What did you say?"  
"I said that Liz could do it," said Ava, her voice stronger. "She can reach Max."  
"You're crazy, Ava," said Liz. "I don't have any powers. I'm human, remember?"  
"You said Max healed you, right? Well, when he did that, he changed you," said Ava."  
"What do you mean, he changed me?" queried Liz, nervously.  
"You were dead, right, or just about dead anyhow. When Max brought you back to life, he altered your physical make-up. He awoke a part of your brain that's been dormant. Our powers come from our brains; we use more of our brains than you do. Except for if Max used his powers to bring you back to life, it's kinda like he jump-started your heart, and your brain. It woke up a part of your brain that you don't use. Frig it; I'm no good at explaining. Didn't your protector explain any of this too you?"  
  
"We never really knew our protector," explained Michael. "At least, Max, Isabelle and I didn't. Nascedo raised Tess, and they weren't too forthcoming with the information. Anything we've learned, we figured out from the book."  
"How'd you translate the book without the help of your protector?" asked Ava.  
"Alex did it," said Isabelle, proudly. "He created a computer program that helped him translate the book."  
"Well, it's not completely translated yet," said Alex. "We've still got quite a bit to go."  
"Way to go, brainiac," said Ava. "Lonnie and Rath have our book. They never let me see it."  
"Can we forget about the book for a minute and focus on Max!" shouted Liz. "We need to do something to warn him!"  
"Right," said Ava. "Come over here and sit down," she said, indicating the booth where Isabelle sat.   
"I don't think I can do this," said Liz, nervously. "I mean Isabelle, if you couldn't get through to Max, what makes you think I can?"  
"I know my brother, and I know that if there is one voice he will hear no matter where he is, no matter what he's doing, it's yours. Take my hand, Liz," said Isabelle.  
  
  
The summit had not gone well, and everyone was angry. Lonnie and Rath were pissed at Max for withholding information about the granolith from them, and Max was mad at them for trying to bully and cajole him into giving into Nicholas's demands. Max could feel the anger burning in them, but it was Tess that surprised him the most. She was enraged with him, and doing her best to hide it behind a cheerful, supportive façade.   
"I'm hungry," said Rath. "Let's get something to eat."  
"Not pizza," said Lonnie. "I'm sick of pizza. Let's go to Chinatown."   
  
The group turned a corner, and Max felt a hand slip into his and squeeze reassuringly. He looked down, expecting to see Tess walking next to him, her hand in his, but there was nothing there. He felt the slight pressure against his hand once again, and he looked up, and across the street. An image of Liz appeared across the busy city street. Without thinking, he stepped off the curb and headed towards her. Behind him, he heard a large banging noise. He turned to find that a window washer's scaffold had fallen on the exact spot where he had been standing. He looked back across the street, but Liz was nowhere to be seen.  
"Liz! Liz, where are you?" He turned to where Tess and the other's had been standing, but they too were gone.  
  
Max felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. He looked around once more and then ran down the street towards the subway entrance where Rath and Lonnie lived. He pushed past the crowds waiting for the train and walked down a deserted tunnel until he came to the abandoned area Rath and Lonnie called home. Tess sat on the floor, in the center of the room, staring at him intently.  
"You only see me,"a voice in his head whispered. "You don't see Rath and Lonnie sitting on the sofa."  
"Tess, what happened?" he asked, kneeling down on the floor next to her. He made sure his gaze didn't focus on the sofa for too long. "Are you alright?"  
"Tell King dork that we attacked you," laughed Lonnie.  
"Lonnie and Rath, they attacked me," said Tess. "They tried to get inside my mind, and find out where the granolith was. But I stopped them."  
"How did you stop them Tess?" asked Max.  
"I don't know," moaned Tess.  
"Nice touch, babe," said Rath.   
"Where are they now, Tess?" asked Max, gently.  
"I' don't know," she moaned again. "They were just gone."  
  
"Yeah, that's right," said Rath, standing up. "Gone is where we're goin'." He walked over to a table and placed a gold book on it. "If you translate this friggin book before us, let us know. We'll come back to Mayberry and use the granolith ourselves to get home," said Rath.   
"And if you get it translated before me?" questioned Tess. She smiled slightly as she spoke, enjoying the feeling of Max stroking her hair. He was completely taken in by her mind warp.  
"Don't worry," said Lonnie, wrapping her arms round Rath. "We'll take you with us. Any friggin fool could see you shoulda been with us right from the beginning. Ava always was too freakin human."  
"That's right," said Tess. "I go with you, and don't you forget it. Nascedo made a deal with Kivar, and I'm going to uphold it!"  
"Yeah, whatever," said Rath, as he and Lonnie walked out of the room. "We'll see you in Mayberry after you get the book translated."  
  
"It's okay, Tess," whispered Max, as he watched Lonnie and Rath leave out of the corner of his eye. "You're alright, and I'm going to take you home." He stood up and pulled Tess up with him, and helped her gather her things, and the two started to walk down the tunnel. Max stopped and turned back towards Lonnie and Rath's hovel. "Wait here," he said.  
"What's the matter Max?" asked Tess with concern.  
"Nothing, well, nothing alien related," said Max with a smile. "I left my back pack back there. You wait here, and I'll just go grab it." Max jogged back down the tunnel, into the large area Rath and Lonnie called home. He grabbed the backpack he had purposely left behind. He glanced around, to make sure nobody was watching him, and he quickly grabbed Rath and Lonnie's copy of the Destiny Book off the table and buried it in his bag. He slipped the bag over his shoulder and jogged back to where Tess was waiting.  
"Come on," he said, smiling down at her. "I'm ready to go home."


	17. Chapter Seventeen The End of Innocence

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Seventeen – The End of Innocence  
  
A subdued group sat around the table at the closed CrashDown as Max related the Tess edited version of their adventures to the others. While Max spoke, Liz went behind the counter and began to fill glasses with tonic for everyone to drink. When she was sure Tess wasn't watching her, she slipped one of the glasses to Ava, who was hiding on the floor, behind the counter. Ava smiled her thanks and passed Liz a scrap of paper. Carefully Liz unfolded it and read Ava's message. "She's lying," it said. Liz nodded to so she understood and slipped the note in her pocket. Grabbing the tray of drinks, she went back over to the others.  
  
"So after I found Tess, we got the hell out of there," said Max, concluding his tale.  
"Why didn't you take the opportunity to go back home with them?" asked Isabelle.  
"Because Max knew that his home was here, with you and Michael," said Tess, reaching out and squeezing Max's arm. Maria rolled her eyes, and made a gagging motion to Liz, behind Tess's back. Liz managed to hide her smile.  
  
"Okay, well, good, you are all back, safe and sound, but we need to clear out of here, or my parents will freak out if you guys are here much longer."  
"Liz is right," said Kyle, feigning a yawn. "Besides, I'm getting tired."  
Alex jumped slightly as if someone had kicked him and he chimed it. "I hope your not to tired to teach me that meditation technique you told me about Kyle," he improvised. "Remember you said you were going to crash at my place and show it to me?"  
"What? Oh yeah, right," said Kyle, recovering quickly. "Tess, I can't drive you home tonight. Do you want to take my car and I can have Alex drive me home in the morning?"  
  
Tess scrunched her nose slightly and looked out the corner of her eye at Max.  
"I'll drive Tess home," said Max, obeying the small voice he heard in his head. He nodded slightly to Michael to indicate that he would meet them all later at Michael's apartment. He stood and slipped his hand under Tess's arm and helped her from the booth. He looked down into her eyes and smiled slightly.  
"Despite everything that happened on this trip, I wouldn't have missed it for the world." He took her hand and led her to the door, but before he left the café, he turned and looked at Liz.  
"I love you," he mouthed to her.  
  
  
Liz reached into the box and grabbed a slice of pepperoni pizza and lifted to cheesy gooey mess to her mouth and took a bite.   
"Oh my God!" she gasped. "This is so good! Can someone please explain to me why Tess's mind warps make me want to eat?" Liz looked from Alex, to Ava waiting for an answer, but none was forthcoming.  
"Fine," she said, her voice muffled as she took another bite of pizza. "Then can somebody tell me why Max hasn't gained an ounce since we figured out about her mind warps? I feel like I've gained fifteen pounds since we figured out what she's doing to us."  
  
"Well, I'd say good genes," said Isabelle, taking a sip from her tonic, "But we're still not really sure about our genes."  
"I think your jeans are great," said Alex with a mock leer. "Actually, Liz, I'm not really sure, but we didn't start the food fests until we started blocking her warps. I think the combination of her warp and our blocking it, does something to our brain chemistry and flips on the hungry switch." He started to say something else, but stopped as the door to Michael's apartment opened. Max stood in the doorway and surveyed his friends.  
"She sold us out," he said. "The bitch sold us out to Rath and Lonnie."  
  
"What!" the others cried in unison. Liz jumped up, crawled over Michael and Maria and flew into Max's arms.   
"Oh Max," she said. "I was so worried. When Ava told us what they did to Zan, I was so afraid they would try and hurt you. We all were afraid."  
"How did you get to New York so quickly, Liz?" asked Max. "And what happened to you? I looked away for a second after that scaffolding fell, and you had disappeared."  
"I wasn't really there Max. Look, it's complicated, and you deserve an explanation, but right now, we all want to hear about what happened."  
  
"Max led Liz back over to where the others were sitting. He sat down on the sofa and pulled Liz onto his lap and began his tale.  
"She had a mind warp on me almost from the time we left," he said. "She was creating this rosy little paradise for her and I to exist in. She is so pathetic that it's almost sad. Oh, and she wanted to try some memory retrieval techniques on me to see if I could remember our life on Antar."  
"You don't remember Antar?" asked Ava, curiously.  
"No," said Isabelle. "None of us do. Do you?"  
"I didn't," admitted Ava. "But our protector worked with all of us to help us remember what Antar was like. I wasn't very good at it. Lonnie was the best at it. After a while, she could remember almost everything."  
"Tell me something," said Max. "Did Antar have green skies, a double sun, and oceans so thick it was like swimming in Jell-O?"  
  
Ava laughed, and again, the group was amazed to here such a delightful, unfettered sound coming from a face that so resembled Tess.  
"No," she said. "Antar looks just like Earth, as do the people. The shape shifters looked like what people on Earth think aliens look like, but our people look just like everyone else on Earth. Oh, and the ocean, it's wet, not edible."  
"I can't believe her," said Max. "She took the one thing we all wanted to know, and she bastardized it!"  
"What else happened, Maxwell?" asked Michael.  
"What, before or after they tried to kill me?"  
"After," said Liz. "Unless something of vital interest happened at the summit, we can cover that later."  
  
"After I saw you, Liz, I turned around, and they were gone. I looked back to where you were standing and you were gone. I took off and ran back to that bat cave they call home. When I got there, Tess was sitting on the floor, trying to warp me. She wanted me to believe that she was there alone, and that Lonnie and Rath had attacked her. But they were right there telling her what to say. They want us to translate the destiny book for them."  
"We couldn't ever figure out how to read it, and our protector couldn't read it either. That was why he pushed the memory retrieval stuff. He wanted us to remember our language, but we never could."  
"So they never translated any of it?" asked Alex.  
"No," said Max. "And they never will." He reached into his bag and removed the other copy of the destiny book. "I stole it from them. Now I want to know how Liz was able to appear to me in New York," said Max.  
  
"Well, it's kind of complicated," hedged Liz, looking at the others, her eyes begging for help. "After Ava told us about Zan, we knew you were in danger. We tried to call your cell phone, but you left it here. We found it wedged in a booth at the CrashDown. Isabelle tried dream walking you too, but that wasn't working either, we didn't know what to do."  
"That still doesn't explain how you were able to appear over 2000 miles away," said Max. Liz caught her lower lip between her teeth and thought for a second. She took a deep breath and blurted, "When you healed me Max, you changed me."  
"What, what do you mean, I changed you?"   
"According to Ava, your alien powers come from a portion of your brain that people on Earth don't use. When you healed me, you changed my physical makeup enough to wake up that portion of my brain."  
"I turned you into one of us," Max said, flatly.  
"Max, there is no us, or them," said Liz. "We are all humans. You just have a brain that is more developed than most people."  
"And now, you do too," said Max. "God, Liz, I am so sorry, I never meant…" his voice trailed off.  
"Max, you saved my life. You risked everything for me. From where I stand, there aren't any drawbacks."  
"You are incredible, Liz Parker," said Max, hugging her to him. "And I will love you forever!"


	18. Chapter Eighteen Live to Tell

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R[/b]  
  
Chapter Eighteen – Live to Tell  
  
The ringing of the phone pulled Alex Whitman from a deep sleep. He rolled over in bed, and his arm crept out from under the blanket and reached blindly towards the nightstand. He banged around the nightstand until he found the phone. He grabbed the receiver and muttered an incoherent hello into the mouthpiece.  
"Alex, is that you?" asked the voice on the other end of the line.  
"Muwmph," Alex yawned. "Yeah, it's me," he amended groggily. "Who is this?"  
"Alex, it's Tess."   
"Oh, hey Tess, what do you want?" asked the now wide-awake Alex. "And did you know it's only 6:30 on a Sunday morning?"  
"Oh, I woke you," said Tess solicitously. "I'm sorry Alex, it's just that I need some help, and you were the only person I could think of to ask." Alex rolled his eyes, and reached over onto his nightstand and slipped the platinum ring that Isabelle gave him on his finger. "No problem Tess, what can I do for you?"  
"I really need to talk to you, alone. Can we meet somewhere?"  
"Mmmm, yeah," said Alex, thinking quickly. "How about that new pancake house that opened up. It's opened 24 hours. In about a half an hour?" he asked.  
"Oh Alex, you're a real lifesaver," Tess cooed over the phone. "Is uh, Kyle still there?" she asked in a casual voice.  
"Oh yeah," lied Alex. "He's sound asleep on my bedroom floor. Why, do you want to talk to him?"  
"Oh, no, I just was wondering if he was still there, or on his way home?" said Tess.  
"Don't tell anybody that I called you or that we are meeting. It's a secret," said a voice in Alex's head.  
"I'll just leave him a note telling him I went for a jog," said Alex. I'll see you in half an hour."  
"Thanks Alex," said Tess. "You're the best."  
  
Alex hung up the phone, and rolled out of bed. He threw on some clothes, brushed his teeth and reached for the phone. He punched in Michael's number and tapped his foot impatiently while he waited for someone to answer.  
"Kyle!" he said. "Yes, I do know it's almost 7:00 a.m. Shut up and listen for a second. Tess called me."  
"What!" shouted Kyle, his voice still filled with sleep.  
"Yeah, she has a favor to ask me and wants to meet with me right away, and she is trying to warp me into keeping it a secret. We're meeting at the new pancake house that opened up. She was also looking for you. She wanted to make sure you were still here. I told her you were asleep.  
"Thanks, man," said Kyle. "Okay, I'll spread the word about what's up. Meet us at the CrashDown as soon as you can. You remember the code, right?"  
"Yeah, how hard can it be to remember song N-17 on the jukebox if we need a meeting," laughed Alex. "Listen, how's Ava doing?"  
"She's okay," said Kyle. "It's weird, she looks so much like Tess, and there are parts of her that are like Tess too, but for the most part, she's entirely different. She's really nice." Alex smiled as he listened to his friend's voice soften as he spoke about Tess.  
"Just remember, my parents are going away on that cruise next week. She's more than welcome to stay here while they are gone. Tess might get suspicious if we keep her away from Michael's apartment for too long."  
"Good thinking," said Kyle. "Listen, you be careful with Tess. There's no telling what she's up to with this meeting."  
"Don't worry, I'm not exactly hero material," laughed Alex. "I'd better get going if I'm going to meet her on time. Oh, by the way, I told her I was leaving you a note saying I was going jogging. Take it easy," said Alex as he hung up the phone.  
  
Alex slipped out of the house, and drove across the quiet streets of Roswell. He parked several blocks down from the pancake house and walked to the restaurant, using the time to compose himself for what might lie ahead. A jingling bell announced him as he opened the door of the new restaurant. A cursory glance showed him that he and Tess, aside from a waitress and a cook, were the restaurants only occupants. He slid into the booth across from Tess, and quickly grabbed a menu to hide his nervousness.  
"Hey," he said, nodding.  
"Hi Alex," Tess replied. "Thank you so much for meeting me like this."  
"No problem," he said. "I wasn't really sleepy anyhow."  
"Liar," she answered with a smile. "It was really selfish of me to wake you up so early on a Sunday morning, but what I have to ask you is really important, and I didn't want to wait any longer.  
  
"You two kids ready to order?" asked the waitress as she approached the table.  
"Uh, yeah," said Alex, glancing quickly at the menu. "I'll have a short stack of buttermilk pancakes with blueberries, and a cup of coffee."  
"And you dear?" the waitress asked, turning towards Tess.  
"That sounds good," she answered. "I'll have the same thing." The waitress scribbled something down on her pad, and took the order over to the kitchen. She returned with a pot of coffee in her hand and made short work of filling the cups. Tess and Alex waited until the waitress was out of earshot before resuming their conversation.  
  
"So," said Alex, fiddling nervously with his spoon. "What did you need my help with?"  
"Alex, you're really smart," said Tess. "And you're really great with computers, so I was wondering, if you could possibly figure out a way to help me with a project of sorts?"  
"I can try," said Alex. "What's it for, school?"  
"I'd rather not say right now."  
"Okay, but it's going to make helping you a bit difficult. Can you at least tell me what you want me to do?"  
"It's kind of like translation stuff," said Tess vaguely.  
"Oh you mean like from English to Spanish, or something?"  
"More like something to English," said Tess.  
"Oh, said Alex faintly, knowing what she wanted.  
"I'll give you all the details later," said Tess. "Just promise me that you'll help me."  
"Uh, yeah, sure I will Tess," said Alex.  
"Thanks Alex," said Tess, smiling faintly. She closed her eyes, and an intense look of concentration crossed her face. "And remember," she added. "Don't tell anybody about this."  
  
As she spoke, Alex could feel her probing his mind, trying to erase all vestiges of the conversation from his memory.  
"I want this party to be a surprise for Max," Tess said. "Don't forget, don't tell anyone."  
"I won't tell anyone, Tess," said Alex. "A surprise party won't be a surprise if everyone knows about it."  
"You're terrific, Alex," said Tess, standing up to leave. "Thanks again. I'll see you later."  
"Wait," said Alex as she slid out of the booth. "What about your breakfast?"  
"Oh, I'm not very hungry. Thanks anyway."  
"See ya," said Alex, as he reached for the two plates the waitress placed on the table. "I'm glad she's not hungry, because I sure am."


	19. Chapter Nineteen Deceptions

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Nineteen – Deceptions  
  
"Max, can you help me with something?" asked Tess softly. Max looked up from the notes he was studying.  
"Tess, when did you get here?" he asked.  
"Just a minute ago, your mother let me in," Tess replied  
"Oh, well come on in then," said Max, pushing his chair away from his desk. "You were saying something about a favor?" he prompted.  
"Yeah," said Tess, smiling slightly. She walked over to him, straddled his legs, and sat down in his lap, facing him. She looped her arms around his neck and leaned in and kissed him deeply. "I have a favor, a really big favor. I need to borrow the destiny book from you for a while."  
  
Max suppressed a shudder as Tess kissed him again, and her tongue snaked its way into his mouth.  
"Why do you want to borrow it?" he asked when she ended the kiss.  
"Well, I've been having these dreams of our life on Antar lately, and I keep seeing images of me, reading. I can't remember what it is after I wake up, but I'm hoping that maybe if I look at the book right after I wake up, it will help me to remember. Please Max?" she wheedled, leaning in to kiss him again. Max suffered her kiss silently, raging to himself because he knew he would have to give into her request.  
"Sure Tess," he said, standing up and sliding her from his lap. "I don't have it here. The book is locked away, but I'll get it too you tonight."  
  
"Thanks Max," said Tess as she leaned in to kiss him fully on the lips again. As they kissed, Max saw flashes that Tess imprinted in his brain. He saw their wedding day; swimming in a Jell-O ocean, and a green sky with double suns. As she deepened the kiss, he began to receive other images; ones that he didn't think were controlled by Tess. He saw Tess meeting with a strange man, and making love to him passionately. He saw soldiers storming a palace, and bodies strewn over the ground. He saw Michael's lifeless body, his eyes staring at nothing, and Isabelle being whipped, her lifeless body being left for scavengers.   
"Max, what is it?" asked Tess, sensing his withdrawal.  
"N-nothing," he said, recovering quickly. "I was just getting some flashes of our life on Antar. I can't believe we really swam in an ocean like that," he said, forcing a laugh.  
"We did," said Tess. "It was one of our favorite things to do!"  
"I'm really glad I'm starting to learn more about our lives together on Antar," said Max. "But if I don't get back to studying, I'm not going to pass this test, and then I won't have a life here on Earth."  
"I get the hint, Max," said Tess with a laugh. "I'll leave you to your studying. You won't forget about the book, will you?"  
  
"I won't," said Max, rising from his chair. "Come on, I'll walk you to the door." He escorted Tess to her car and watched while she drove back out of site. He walked back into his room and went over and opened the window.   
"Come on in Michael, she's gone."  
"Hey, Maxwell," said Michael, as he climbed through the window. "How long did you know I was out there?"  
"Not long," said Max. "I caught a glimpse of you in the mirror. You heard, I assume?"  
"Yeah, she wants the book, but I knew that anyhow. I heard back from Alex after their morning meeting. Are you going to give it to her?"  
"Do I have a choice?" Max asked ruefully.  
"Not that I can see," said Michael.  
"I didn't think so," said Max. "Listen, Michael, I need your help with something."  
"What? If it's killing Tess, you already know I'm in."  
"No, it's not that. I want to try and give you a flash of something I saw, and I want you to try and draw it for me."  
"Jesus, Maxwell, you don't think small, do you?"  
"I'm sorry, Michael. But I saw something when Tess killed me, and I don't think it was something she generated in my head."  
"When she WHAT? When she killed you?"  
"Sorry, I meant kissed me," said Max.  
  
Michael reached over to the desk and grabbed a notebook and pencil, and sat down on the bed. "Okay," he said. "How do you want to do this?"  
"I don't know," said Max, honestly. "I guess I'll just try grabbing your hand and seeing if I can pass the flash on to you." As he spoke, he grabbed Michael by the hand, and tried to concentrate on the image of the man he saw making love with Tess. Max tried to focus only on the stranger, and not of the vision of Michael lying on the ground, dead, but the image crept into his mind, no matter what he did. He could feel Michael trying to pull his hand out of Max's grasp, but he wouldn't let go, until Michael reached around with his free hand, and punched Max in the jaw. The connection severed, Max rubbed his jaw where Michael had hit him.  
"I'm sorry, Michael," said Max. "I didn't mean for you to see everything."  
"My God," said Michael. "What they did to Isabelle, I can't believe it."  
  
"Michael," began Max.  
"Yeah, I know, I saw it," said Michael, referring to his own death. "But that doesn't seem as important as protecting you and Isabelle."  
"It's funny," said Max, though his voice lacked any humor. "I wasn't worried about myself either. All I could think about was you and Isabelle."  
"And I'm sure if Isabelle saw the flash, she'd be more worried about us than herself," said Michael.   
"Did you see the other person?" asked Max. "The one with Tess?"  
"Yeah, I did," said Michael. "Do you have any idea of who he is?"  
"No, do you think you can draw him?"  
"I don't know, but I'm going to try," said Michael. He bent down and grabbed the notebook that had slid off the bed. He sketched rapidly, and then passed the notebook to Max.  
"Is this him?" he asked.  
"Yeah, it is," said Max, his stomach sinking as he looked at the image. "Can you round everybody up?" he asked Michael. "I think we need to have another meeting."  
"Sure thing," said Michael. "The quarry again?"  
"No, your place, I think. I want Ava to take a look at this sketch. How's she settling in, anyhow?"  
"Great," said Michael. "I like knowing that I have a sister, and her and Valenti are getting pretty tight too. I'm having fun playing big brother, threatening to blow him up if he messes with my sister and all that."  
"You better watch it, Michael. Kyle's probably going to start developing powers too. He may be able to blow you up if you don't watch out."  
"I know that, and you know that, but Valenti hasn't realized it yet." The two friends laughed together for a moment, before becoming serious once again.  
  
"You round everybody up," said Max. "I'll go pick up some take out. How does Chinese sound this time?"  
"Yeah, and the spicier, the better," said Michael. "Alex added an entire bottle of jalapeno's to his ice cream sundae today at the CrashDown. He said he was really craving spicy food after his meeting with Tess."  
"Great," said Max. "Another side effect of her mind warps. Okay, I'll get a double order of General Gau's Chicken." He watched as Michael climbed out the window and jumped onto his bike. Max picked up the drawing off the bed, and stared at it with a sense of foreboding. He folded it up, and slipped it into his back pocket, grabbed the keys to his Jeep and headed out of the house


	20. Chapter Twenty Kiss and Tell

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Twenty – Kiss and Tell  
  
Liz looked around to make sure she wasn't being observed and then climbed quickly into the unlocked vehicle. She hunkered down on the floor of the back seat and waited. The minutes dragged on interminably. After what seemed like an eternity, she heard the car door open. The driver climbed in, placed some packages on the passenger seat, slammed the door and started the vehicle. The car drove down the street, stopping occasionally for what Liz could only assume were red lights. Suddenly, the car swerved sharply. Liz muffled a gasp as her weight shifted and she banged her head against the back of the passenger seat.  
  
Liz heard the brakes squeal as the vehicle came to a sudden stop.   
"Alright," said the voice from the front seat. "Get the hell out of my car before I kill you. Liz felt a hand reach back and grab her roughly and pull her from the back of the car. The driver reached his arm back and prepared to punch her when he realized whom he held.  
"Liz?" Max asked, incredulously.  
"Sorry," said Liz, with a small laugh. "I couldn't resist when I saw your Jeep parked outside of Senor Chow's. It seems like we never get any time alone lately, and so I saw an opportunity, and I grabbed it. Besides, I've had this feeling all afternoon that you were really upset. I wanted to see you for myself and find out if you were okay."  
"I'm fine," said Max, pulling Liz to him so he could kiss her.   
  
Several minutes passed as Liz and Max kissed passionately in the front seat of his Jeep. Liz leaned into Max and deepened the kiss. Her tongue slowly crept into his mouth, thrusting seductively back and forth. She withdrew her tongue and bit his lower lip lightly. Max groaned with desire and kissed her deeper. As he did, the images he received when he kissed Tess transmitted themselves to Liz's open mind.  
"Oh my God, Max. What was that?" she cried, ending their embrace.  
"Damn," swore Max, softly. "I didn't mean for you to see those."  
"But Michael, Isabelle, God Max, are they okay. We have to do something. We have to find them!" Liz cried frantically.  
"Liz, relax," said Max, holding her down. "It wasn't them."  
"But I saw them, it was them. Michael, he's dead, and Isabelle, my God, she's better off if she's dead.  
  
"Liz, it isn't them. It's not Michael and Isabelle. You're seeing Rath and Vilondra. It's how they died on Antar, or at least I think it is, anyhow. That's what this meeting tonight is about."  
"What's going on, Max? I'm afraid," said Liz, her face white.  
"Tess came by for a surprise visit today," began Max. "She wanted a favor. She tried using her powers on me to convince me to give her the book. After I agreed, she kissed me. The first thing I saw was the images she had created in my head of Antar, Jell-o beach, green sky, the works. But then, I began to see other things. They were horrible."  
"Max, don't, you don't have to tell me what you saw," said Liz. "I saw it too.  
Max smiled at Liz, her thoughtfulness making him love her all the more, but he wasn't able to suppress the images that filled his brain. Swallowing deeply, he continued his story.  
"After I got rid of her, Michael showed up. I was able to let him see the visions, and he sketched them out. We're going to show them to Ava tonight to see if she recognizes anything."  
  
Liz dropped her head into her hands and rubbed her face wearily.  
"We have to stop her Max. We can't let her take over our lives like this any more."  
"I know, Liz, I know. Right now, we have to go with what we have, and that isn't much."  
"Well, then, let's get this food to Michael's and start brainstorming," said Liz.   
"You know," said Max, looking at Liz reflectively. "I picked up the food kind of early. I was just going to hang out at Michael's, so we have some time to kill."  
"Oh, so we could, oh, maybe take a ride out to say the quarry or something?" said Liz, suggestively.  
"Yeah," said Max. "Or something." He turned the key in the ignition, and the Jeep roared to life. He checked quickly to make sure there was no traffic and he pulled the Jeep out onto the road. Fifteen minutes later, Max pulled the Jeep off of the road and parked it behind a large outcropping of rocks. Taking Liz by the hand, he led her up a small incline. He paused for a moment, and passed his hand over one of the rocks, and a glowing handprint was revealed, and a door slid open to admit them to a hidden chamber.   
  
"Here Max?" Liz asked, questioningly. "Are you sure?"  
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life, Liz. This is where my life began, and it almost ended, thanks to Tess and her stupid mind warps. If we hadn't found out the truth, we all would have gone on believing that Tess and I were destined to be together. I want to be with you here." Liz said nothing; she simply took Max's hand and pulled him to the ground. The couple made love passionately, but with a desperation as well. Max was desperate to erase the images he had seen earlier, and Liz was desperate to keep him safe.  
  
"Max, that was incredible," said Liz, her breath coming in short gasps. "I mean, the last time was incredible, as well, but this was a different kind of incredible. I feel so alive inside. It's like I can feel you inside my cells, moving around." Max propped himself up on one elbow and played with a strand of Liz's hair.  
"Do you think it has to do with the changes from my healing you?"  
"I don't know, and I don't care," said Liz, a blissful smile on her face. "This is the most wonderful feeling I have ever had, and I don't want it to end."  
"You're what's wonderful," said Max, kissing her on the nose. "I wish we could just stay here, forever. Locked away from the rest of the world."  
"We'd get pretty hungry if we were locked in here forever," said Liz, playing along.  
"We have Chinese food out in the car. We can live on Alex's double order of General Gau's chicken."  
"Alex!" cried Liz, while at the same time Max said "Chinese food!"  
"Oh God! How long have we been here?" asked Liz, scrambling into her clothes.  
"Only a couple of hours," said Max. "We're not too late. If we hurry, we should be able to get there before they all start freaking out completely."  
  
The couple quickly left the pod chamber and climbed into the Jeep. On the outskirts of town, Liz climbed into the back seat and hunkered down on the floor again in case Tess was around anywhere. She shifted position, trying to find a comfortable place to sit, while holding the bags of now cold Chinese food on her lap. Outside of Michael's apartment, Max looked around to make sure they were unobserved. He opened the Jeep door and allowed Liz, still holding the bags of food to rush up the steps to Michael's apartment. She knocked on the door and walked in, followed by Max.  
"Hi," she said to the room in general. "Sorry we're late, we got held up."  
"Don't worry," said Michael, reaching for the bags of food. "Man, this smells great, and it's still hot too, good!"


	21. Chapter TwentyOne That's the Way The For...

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Twenty-One That's the Way the Fortune Cookie Crumbles  
  
"No way man," said Alex. "There is no way I want to go along with anything that mind warping hell beast comes up with! And, I think you are nuts to even consider it, Max. You want to give her the book? You're insane!" Finished speaking, Alex shoveled several heaping spoonfuls of General Gau's Chicken on his plate.   
"What?" he asked as everyone stared at him, in shocked silence. "I'm hungry. Hey, you know what would go good with this, some chocolate syrup. Do you have any Michael?"  
  
"Uh, I'll get it," said Maria, rising quickly and heading towards the kitchen, Michael hot on her heels.  
"Man, what is wrong with Alex tonight?" asked Michael after he reached the relative quiet of the kitchen.  
"Don't you get it?" demanded Maria, her eyes filling up with tears. "That bitch is getting to him, despite the platinum ring he's wearing. It's starting to affect him. This has to stop, Michael, and it has to stop now, before Alex gets any worse. If you don't stop it, I will. I don't care if I have to kill the stupid bitch to do it!"  
  
"That's enough, Maria," said Alex, from the doorway. "You're not going to kill anybody. You can't even kill the ants when we go on a picnic," he added with a snort.  
"Yeah, well, Tess is lower on the evolutionary scale than an ant," grumbled Maria, wiping her tear-streaked face. "I could happily kill her for what she's doing to you."  
"She's not doing anything to me Maria," said Alex, reaching for the chocolate syrup he spied on the counter. "Okay," he amended, "She's messing up my taste buds, but other than that, I'm fine."  
"But, you just exploded at Max in there," said Maria. "That is so not like you."  
"Maria, that was very much like me. Especially if you take into consideration the fact that I haven't slept more than 2 hours in the past two days. Kyle, Ava, Isabelle and I worked on the dupes book last night. I had just barely gone to bed when Tess called to set up our little breakfast tête-à-tête. I'm working on no sleep here, Maria. That's all, I promise."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes, Maria, I'm sure," said Alex, raising his eyebrow as he spoke. "No sleep, that's all. Now why don't you go out into the other room? Max has something important he wants to tell us."  
  
Maria looked at Alex, her confusion apparent as she turned and left the room. Alex started to follow her when Michael reached out and grabbed his arm.  
"Are you sure your okay?" he asked. "Cause Maria will totally freak if anything happens to you because of us."  
"Just Maria?" asked Alex, an amused expression on his face.  
"Well, Liz and Isabelle too," said Michael, squirming a little. Alex said nothing. He just stared at Michael, one eyebrow raised. Michael grimaced, and shook his head slightly.  
"Fine," he groused. "You want to make me say it, I'll say it. We'll all fall apart if anything happens to you." Michael pushed past Alex and walked into the living room, his face suffused with color.  
"Interesting," said Alex, softly to the empty room. "Maria never gives up on anything that easily, but she stopped going on and on as soon as I thought it. And Michael would never in a million years admit that he cared about any of us, yet he just did, as soon as I pushed him. He said exactly what I wanted him to say. I wonder what it means?" Alex started to walk back to the living room, and stopped and reached back for the chocolate syrup and then headed back into the living room.  
  
"Houston, we have a problem," he deadpanned as he walked in the room.  
"What's wrong, Alex?" asked Isabelle, her face a mask of concern.  
"I don't know if wrong is exactly the word I would choose, but it is something," said Alex.  
"Well what is it?" demanded Max, impatiently.  
"Max, don't you feel like standing on the coffee table and singing, "What's New Pussycat?" asked Alex.  
"Alex, what the hell are you talking about?" asked Max. "It's not like this is the best time in the world for fun and games. Alex just smiled, and gave a small shove with his mind, his eyebrow raising as he concentrated. Suddenly, Max stood up, and climbed up onto Michael's dilapidated coffee table and began to sing the old Tom Jones standard.  
  
"Alex, my God, what did you do to him?" cried Liz as she tried to get Max to get off the table, which groaned alarmingly under his weight.  
"Max, you can stop now," said Alex, his face wet with perspiration. As quickly as he had begun, Max stopped singing and climbed down off of the coffee table.  
"You can mind warp," he said, flatly. "Since when?"  
"Since just now," said Alex. "It started in the kitchen. "I got Maria to lay off of me, and I got Michael," he paused, seeing the look of anger on Michael's face. "Well, I got Michael to say something he usually wouldn't," said Alex. "Both of those things could have been a coincidence, so I figured I'd try something to totally weird, just to be certain. I'm sorry Max," he added with a chuckle. "But if I were you, I wouldn't quit your day job."  
  
"Well at least nobody else is showing any signs of developing powers," said Isabelle. Kyle, what about you, any powers yet?"  
"Nope," said Kyle. "I'm clean. For now," he added in a whisper.  
"Maria, how about you?" asked Michael.  
"Nothing that I know of, but if I'm going to have powers, can I blow stuff up, like Tess maybe?" asked Maria.  
"Great," said Isabelle, so all we have is this new trick of Alex. Liz did contact Max that time," she added, "But I don't thing that counts, I think that was more of a love thing than a power thing."  
"Don't be too sure," said Liz, passing her hand over Isabelle's plate of congealed Chinese food. Steam began to rise from the food as Liz looked bleakly up at the others.


	22. Chapter Twenty Two Power Surge

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Twenty-Two Power Surge  
  
"Well, what did you'se guys expect?" asked Ava. "I told you that you guys was changed."  
"Yeah, but Max didn't ever heal me," said Alex. Ava shot him a look that clearly said she couldn't believe how stupid he was.  
"I thought you was supposed to be the smart one," she said, her voice rich with scorn. "Don't you get it? It's Tess, she's workin' her powers on you, and it's wakin' up the part of your brain that's been sleepin'."  
"So you're saying that anybody we've used our powers on is going to change?" Isabelle asked faintly, thinking of all the different people she'd dream walked in her life.  
"No, I ain't sayin that blondie," snapped Ava. "I never claimed to be a brainiac about the whole thing. But I think maybe it depends on, like the strength of the powers that were used."  
  
"Right," said Liz, slowly. "Max had to use a large amount of power to heal me, and I bet that Tess really pushed when she tried to mind warp Alex today. She knew he'd be resistant to anything she'd have to say on principle, so she put some extra effort into it, which is why his ability showed up so quickly. Plus who's to say how long she's been messing with our heads anyhow. That could also be affecting Alex's sudden appearance of powers."  
"That makes sense," said Alex. "But what about Kyle? Max healed him too. Why isn't he displaying any powers?"  
  
"Well, maybe he is, and he just doesn't know it yet," said Maria. "Kyle, are you sure you haven't developed any powers yet?" Kyle rolled his eyes skyward, and sighed deeply before he answered.  
"Yeah, I'm sure," he answered.  
"Are you really sure?" pressed Maria. Because, I mean, maybe you just didn't realize that you did something. Maybe you can do something like dream walking."  
"Maria, I'm sure that I haven't developed any powers," said Kyle, his voice sharp.   
"Maybe you can heal," Maria said, her voice excited. "That's not something that you would know about unless you tried it!"  
"Maria! Will you SHUT UP!" Kyle yelled. "I do not have any powers!" As he yelled, three glasses that were sitting on the coffee table shattered, and the lamp next to Kyle's exploded into a thousand pieces.  
"Uh, well, maybe I was wrong," said Kyle, sheepishly.  
  
"Great," said Maria, dryly. "Now we have two of you who can explode things when you're angry. Can anyone guess just how safe I feel right now?"  
"If you hadn't been buggin him," said Ave, "He wouldn't have made everything explode. Jeez, cut him some slack why dontcha?"  
"What, you think Tess is going to be all sunshine and light when she tries to fry his brain?" snapped Maria. "He's going to have to learn to deal with the pressure."  
"Oh yeah," scoffed Ava. "Just like Michael? I so don't think so."  
"Why you little," began Maria.  
"Look Tinkerbelle, cut the crap. You don't like me for some reason, and I could care less, but if you don't lay off of Kyle, you ain't gonna like what happens to that pretty little face of yours."  
  
"Maria, Ava, stop it, the both of you," said Liz. "We all need to calm down and just focus on what's going on." She stopped, interrupted by the ringing of Max's cell phone. Max reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.  
"Hello?" he said. "Oh hey Tess. No, I don't have the book yet. I need Michael to help me get it, and he's out with Maria tonight. Kyle? No, I haven't seen him, isn't he home tonight?" Max looked over at Kyle who made motions like he was bowling. "Oh, wait, I think he said something about going bowling tonight. I'll get that book to you, I promise. Isabelle? Yeah, she's around here somewhere. I think she's organizing her sock drawer or something. Liz? Why would I know or care where Liz Parker is?" Max reached over and squeezed Liz's hand gently. "No, I'm with you know Tess, Liz is a thing of the past. I'll see you tomorrow." Max ended the call and looked at the faces of his friends who waited expectantly to hear what he had to say.  
  
"That was Tess," he said unnecessarily. "She wanted to make sure I got the book to her, and she was checking up on everybody's whereabouts."  
"That's exactly what she was doing," said Kyle, grimly. "I told her before I went out tonight that I was going bowling, and my car is parked over by the bowling alley. She's just scamming for information."  
"Enough about Tess," said Isabelle. "Unless she had something interesting to say, Max?"  
"No, nothing," said Max.  
"Fine, then I have an idea," said Isabelle. "Max, I know you had something important you wanted to talk to us about, and I'm not saying we should forget about it, but can we put it aside for a while?"  
"Yeah, I guess," said Max, images of his sister's broken body flitting through his mind. "What did you have in mind?"  
"I was thinking about a little practical application in using powers," she said, gesturing toward the shards of glass that littered the coffee table and end table.  
  
After an hour of hard work, Liz, Alex and Kyle stood proudly in front of two reassembled glasses and a working lamp. Maria, frustrated, sat on the couch, with a broken glass in front of her.  
"Why can't I do it?" she asked. "Why don't I have any powers?"  
"Relax, Maria," said Liz, rubbing her back. "Don't forget, Max hasn't healed you, and luckily, it looks like Tess isn't pushing to hard into your mind."  
"Isabelle, maybe you could dream walk me a few million times or something?" Maria asked hopefully.  
"I don't know, Maria," said Isabelle. "Dream walking doesn't take a lot of effort, for me. It's not a big power drain, if you know what I mean."  
"Max, maybe you could, I don't know, heal something on me or something?"  
"Maria, there's nothing you need to have healed," said Max.  
  
"Maybe I can do something'," said Ava. "If you'se trust me, that is?"  
"What?" asked Maria, a tinge of fear in her voice.  
"Give me your hands," said Ava, and just relax. She reached out and took Maria's hands, and concentrated, focusing all her energy and attention on Maria. "There, that should do it," she said.  
"What did you do?" asked Liz.  
"Well, I tried to take the energy I'd use to mess with someone's mind, and focus it on her brain. I kinda gave it like a nudge or something'."  
"You what!" exploded Michael. "What gives you the right to mess with her head that way?"  
"Michael, stop it," said Maria, jumping up. "She didn't mess with my head. I could feel her in there. It was just like when Tess tries to mind warp us, but this was more, I don't know, gentle or something. She told me what she was doing, she wasn't trying to put any images in my mind or anything. It's okay. But I love you for coming to my defense."  
  
Maria stepped over to the glass and held her hand over it and concentrated. Everyone stared at the table and held their breath while they waited to see what happened. After several seconds, Maria dropped her hand in frustration.  
"Nothing," she said.  
"Give it time, Maria," said Alex. "Maybe it will take a little time to develop. Don't get upset."  
A soft snort of laughter came from Isabelle.  
"What, you think this is funny?" asked Maria.  
"No, it's not funny, Maria. It's just that last year, you were totally freaked when you found out about us, and now, here you are, upset that you're not like us." The truth of Isabelle's statement struck the Roswellians, and they all began to laugh uncontrollably. Ava watched, a slight smile on her face.  
"You are all such cornballs," she said.  
  



	23. Chapter Twenty Three Four Squared

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Twenty-Three Four Squared  
  
The next morning, the group met at the same pancake house that Alex had gone to with Tess. After their orders arrived, Max explained n an expressionless voice what he had seen when Tess kissed him.  
"How do we know they aren't just more images planted by Tess?" Maria asked, her arm wrapped protectively around Michael.   
"We don't k now for certain," admitted Max. "All I do know is that it didn't feel forced, like the other images. It felt real, more real, more genuine. Anyhow, I managed to show Michael the images, and he drew some sketches of what I saw. Ava, "he continued, turning towards the other girl, "I was wondering if you would look at them for me. You seem to remember the most about our other life. I was kind of hoping something would ring a bell with you.  
  
"No way!" exclaimed Ava. "Do I look like a friggin Magic Eight Ball to you? Come on Kyle, I wanna blow this joint." Kyle slipped his arm around the petite blonde and whispered something in her ear. She shook her head vehemently several times, then slowly nodded.  
"Okay," she acquiesced. "I'll look at your stupid pictures, but I ain't makin any promises."  
"We're not asking for any Ava, we just want your help," said Max, his expression grateful.  
"Guys," said Maria suddenly. "Let's not do this here."  
"Maria," snapped Michael. "What's wrong with here? We're all here."  
"Well, we can be in a here that's elsewhere too," said Maria. "I'm just not getting a good feeling about being here. It's like the vibes are all wrong or something."  
"Go sniff some cedar oil or something will you," said Michael. He turned to ask Liz to talk some sense into his girlfriend, but Liz was throwing money down on the table to cover their bill. Michael's gaze moved to Isabelle, who was shrugging into her coat and grabbing her purse. Ava stood poised by the side of the table, ready to walk out of the restaurant.  
  
"So, I guess we're leaving then," said Alex.  
"Forget it," snapped Michael. "I'm not leaving."  
"Then don't," said Maria, sliding out of her chair. "Go ahead, do your stupid withdrawal thing, I don't care, I'm not sticking around." Wordlessly, Kyle and Alex stood up from their seats and began to follow Maria as she stormed out of the pancake house. Liz hung back to look at Max and Michael.  
"Michael, won't you just listen to Maria. She could be right you know, she's gotten feelings like this before. We were at a party one time, and she was positive we should leave. Right after we did, the police and the parents showed up. Half the freshman class was grounded for a month."  
  
"I don't care," said Michael, his voice adamant. "I'm staying."  
"Whatever," said Liz. She nodded to Isabelle and Ava and the two walked out of the restaurant and joined the others by the car. Liz turned to look at Max.  
"Max, what about you?" she said asked.  
"Liz, I believe Maria, and make sure she realizes that. But I don't feel right leaving Michael here by himself. I'll hang here with him, and we'll talk for a while. We'll catch up with you in a bit." Liz caught her lower lip between her teeth for a moment, then nodded.  
"Okay, but be careful, both of you," she said. She spun around on one heel and walked out the door to of the restaurant to where the others were waiting.  
  
"Michael, what the hell was that all about?" demanded Max, once Liz was out of earshot. Around them, conversation swelled and ebbed with the arrival of new customers. Max toyed with the knife in front of him; the sweet smell of syrup was so thick, that he wanted to gag.  
"Look, I believe Maria believes that something isn't write, but unless I see it, I don't believe it."  
"Well believe it," said Max, pointing to the door, where Tess stood. "Here comes trouble."  
  
  
Liz waited until Isabelle parked the Jeep, because serious conversation was next to impossible when riding in the open-air vehicle.  
"Are you alright, Maria?" she asked, concerned for her friend.  
"Michael Guerin is such a jerk," sniffed Maria,   
"Maria, you already knew that," said Liz.  
"Yeah, well, he's more of a jerk than usual," said Maria. "But, in a way, I can't blame him. He's lived his whole live trusting his own instinct. It isn't easy for him to trust anybody. He's getting better about it, but sometimes, he regresses."  
  
"Maria, listen," said Isabelle. "Michael was a jerk back there, but try and see it from his perspective, warped though it may be. For years, the only person he ever had to count on was himself. He wasn't even very good at trusting Max and I. Now, suddenly, he has all these people who know his secret. He's trying, but sometimes, he messes up."  
"Did any of you think that maybe he's the one who's right?" asked Ava, as she approached the Jeep parked next to Kyle's car. "Zan trusted Lonnie and Rath, and look what that got him; dead. Maybe we're all just better off not trustin nobody."  
  
"That's too bad," said Kyle, his voice full of hurt. "Maybe if you let somebody in, you'd find that it's a nice feeling  
"Yo, Kyle, man. I didn't know you was right behind me like that," said Ava, her face red.  
"So, it doesn't sound like it would have mattered if I was or wasn't," said Kyle. "According to you, you don't need anybody. I guess that includes me." He turned abruptly to Isabelle. "Why are we here? I can think of better places to meet than beside this big pile of rocks."  
  
"Well, Kyle, it's funny you should mention trust," said Isabelle. "I'm trusting you, and everybody else with something." She passed her hand over the side of the large sandstone outcropping, a glowing handprint appeared, and a panel slid back, allowing them access to the chamber inside the rocks. Isabelle led the way in to the pod chamber, and then into the chamber that concealed the granolith.  
  
"Wow," said Ava, walking around the chamber. "It's real."  
"What is that thing?" asked Kyle.  
"It's the granolith," said Isabelle. "But beyond that, we don't know much of anything. But I brought you all here, to lay our proverbial cards on the table. We need to work together, and to trust each other. Resentment and secrets won't do anything but hold us back. Now I can't speak for Michael, but I trust all of you, and I know you'd do anything to protect us, and I hope you know that I'd do anything to protect you."  
  
"Nice speech sunshine," said Ava, her eyes flashing. "But how do I know it's true?"  
"You don't," said Liz. "But I've known Alex, Maria and Kyle most of my life, and I know I'd trust them WITH my life." As she spoke, Liz reached out and took one of Kyle's hands in hers, and Alex's hand in the other. Instinctively, the two guys reached out to grab Maria's hands, the four of them creating a square around Isabelle and Ava. The granolith began to glow slightly, and Liz became aware of green bolts of energy shooting from her hands, into the hands of Kyle and Alex. She watched as they traced a path through their bodies and traveled into Maria's body.   
  
Liz became aware of a soft humming noise that came from the granolith, its low even pitch was soothing, and helped to eliminate some of the fear she was feeling. She felt herself relaxing, and images began to fill her mind, but they flew too fast for her to identify them. She allowed herself to relax even more, and let the images and the sound fill her.   
  
Isabelle looked at her friends, and she panicked. She tried to break through the square made by her friends, but she couldn't release their grasp. She ducked under Alex and Maria's arms and then turned and looked at the granolith. The light in it dimmed a little. Holding her breath a little, she ducked back under Alex's outstretched arm and stood facing him. She glanced up at the granolith and noticed that the light inside of it grew slightly stronger. She reached out and grabbed Ava by the arm, and pulled her out of the square. The light in the granolith faded to almost nothing, and the humming noise disappeared. As one, Alex, Kyle, Maria and Liz released their hands, and the light in the granolith disappeared completely.


	24. Chapter Twenty Four Memories

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Twenty-Four – Memories  
  
The group reassembled at Alex's house, where his computer was busy printing out page after page of the other destiny book. Alex grabbed a stack of pages from the printer and threw himself down on his bed and began to read, comparing the new pages to the translation of the original destiny book.  
"What's it say?" asked Kyle.  
"A lot," replied Alex, absentmindedly.  
"Well, no duh," said Maria, her voice filled with scorn. "We can see that by the amount of paper, but what does it say?"  
"Maria, give him a break," said Isabelle. "He just started looking at it."  
"I'm sorry," said Maria. "I just want to know what happened back there."  
"We all do, Maria," said Alex. "But just chill out. We'll figure it out eventually.  
  
Maria sat down on a chair next to Alex's desk, and reached over in the corner and picked up his guitar. Idly, she began to pluck the stings, and a soft haunting melody filled Alex's bedroom.  
"What's that?" asked Isabelle, her face pale.  
"I don't know?" answered Maria. "Do you like it?"  
"No, I don't think I do," admitted Isabelle. "It's giving me a really funny feeling in my chest."  
  
Across the room, a voice began to sing, a strange lilting accompaniment to the eerie tune Maria played. Liz turned towards the sound, surprised to see the sweet, albeit, strange words coming from Ava. Liz closed her eyes, and allowed the combination of Ava's voice and Maria's music to sweep over her. The music seemed to fill soul, the same way the sound from the granolith did. She relaxed even more, and tried to make sense of the words Ava was singing.  
  
Isabelle stood abruptly, crossed the room and pulled the guitar out of Maria's hands.  
"Stop it!" she cried, the tears streaming down her face. "Just stop it!"  
"Isabelle, what is it?" asked Alex as he leapt from the bed. He wrapped his arms around Isabelle and held her tightly. "What's wrong? What is it?"  
"That song. It – I, I just couldn't listen to it," whispered Isabelle, shaking uncontrollably.  
"Why?" asked Alex.  
"Because that's the song that was playing the day we died," said Ava, flatly. "It was the anthem of the Royal House of Antar."  
  
  
"Trouble at twelve o'clock," said Max, pointing to Tess, who had just walked in the door of the now crowded pancake house.  
"Just follow my lead," whispered Max, as Tess approached.  
"Hey, Tess," said Max, sliding over in the booth to make room for her. "What are you doing here?"  
"I was headed to the video store down the street, when I saw you and Michael in side, so I decided to come in," said Tess.  
"I'm glad you did," said Max, smiling warmly. His gaze took in her tousled blond curls, the blue crochet top she wore over a white tank top and the short blue denim mini skirt she wore. "You look great today."  
"Thanks Max," said Tess, running her fingers through her hair. "You are just so sweet. Aren't you going to say hello Michael?" she asked, looking across the table.  
"Hello, Michael," he deadpanned, raising an eyebrow sardonically. She turned back to face Max, and stroked his face gently with her hand.  
  
"Do you have the book for me yet?" she asked as she continued to run her fingers against his cheek, and using her mind to nudge both him and Michael.  
"Well, not here with me," hedged Max, stalling for time. "Actually, I,"  
"Actually," interrupted Michael, "I put the book in a safe deposit box in a bank in Las Cruses. We were planning on going down tomorrow after school to get it."  
"Why not tomorrow morning?" she asked, her voice petulant.  
"Because we have school tomorrow," explained Michael slowly, as if talking to a simpleton.  
"Michael really needs to put in an appearance at school every once in a while," added Max, reasonably.  
"Yeah, and Mr. Seligman has really been on my class for missing so many classes," added Michael. "I really do need to be there tomorrow."  
  
"I don't know why all of you are so hung up on following the rules," said Tess. "This isn't our world, we don't belong here. What do you care if you graduate high school, or not." Max slammed his hand down on the table, causing the silverware to jump.  
"He does it, we all do it, because I'm the king, and I say to do it," said Max, his voice hard and full of anger. "Damn it Tess, we've survived this far by getting along, following the rules, and fitting in as much as possible. Michael will draw too much attention to himself, and the rest of us if he keeps skipping school."  
  
Tess gazed at Max, her gaze narrowing thoughtfully for a minute. Suddenly, she smiled, and pressed her body against his.  
"Max, do you remember, we had an argument similar to this on Antar. Please tell me you remember." She closed her eyes for a minute and both Max and Michael could feel her planting a false image inside their minds.  
"I very much wanted to go to a neighboring town for a festival, but you wouldn't allow it because there was nobody there to escort me. So I went to Michael, I mean Rath, and asked him to do it. You overheard me asking him and you got so angry. You said you were the king, and your word was law. Max, Michael, please tell me you remember."  
  
Michael glanced at Max for guidance, unsure of how to answer. He felt the images Tess fed into his mind, but he was unsure of how to react. He looked at Max again, and Max nodded slightly.  
"I might," said Michael, slowly. "I think I can. It's almost like trying to remember a song that you haven't heard for a long time. I can kind of feel it floating there, on the fringes of my memory, but I can't quite get a grip on it." Michael paused for a moment and allowed his mind to review the images Tess had planted in it. "Wait, you were wearing something blue, weren't you?"  
"Yes, she was," said Max, smiling down on Tess. "Blue was, is, the color I love best on you."  
"Oh Max, you do remember," said Tess, her eyes shining. She threw her arms around him, and hugged him tightly.  
  
"Well, I don't remember much," admitted Max. "So far, I can only remember things you've reminded me of. I guess this means we'll have to spend a lot of time together, until I can start remembering things on my own." He hugged Tess tightly against his body, and made a face over her head at Michael, who was making gagging gestures at him.  
"Don't worry, Max," said Tess. "I'm sure the time will come when you, when all of you," she said, including Michael in her gaze, "will remember everything about our lives on Antar."


	25. Chapter Twenty Five United

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Authors Note: I'm not very happy with the way the excerpt from the destiny book came out. It will probably be rewritten very very soon. But, as bad as it is, I think I managed to convey my point.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Twenty – Five United  
  
Max's cell phone rang. He shifted is weight, using the opportunity to get some distance between him and Tess, and answered his phone. After a quick hello, he was silent. Finally he said, "We'll be there in twenty minutes." He stuffed his phone in his pocket and reached for his coat.  
"Tess, Michael and I have to go. Isabelle was out in the Jeep and it broke down. We need to get out there and fix it for her."  
"Why doesn't she just use her powers to fix it?" complained Tess.  
"Because to fix it, she still needs some understanding of how an internal combustion engine works. Isabelle doesn't care how it works, as long as it does," explained Max.  
  
"Well, why don't I drive you out to wherever she is, and after you fix it, we can go do something, alone," said Tess.  
"Because I don't have any comprehension of how an internal combustion engine works either," improvised Max. "But Michael does. That's why he and I need to go."  
"Well why can't Michael go then?" whined Tess.  
"Because the last time I tried to fix a car with my powers," interjected Michael, "I fried the entire electrical system in Maria's Jetta. Her mother still hasn't forgiven me."  
"I don't get it then, how do you expect to fix the car?"  
"It's simple," explained Max. Michael figures out what's wrong and tells me how its supposed to work, and I use my powers to fix it.  
  
"It sounds stupid to me, Max," said Tess in a whiney voice that grated on Max's ears. "When are we ever going to get to spend any time together?"  
"Soon, Tess, soon. I promise," said Max. "But right now, Michael and I really need to get going. Do you want us to walk you to the video store before we leave?"  
"Video store?" asked Tess, blankly. "Why would I want to go there?"  
"Remember, you said you were on the way to the video store when you looked in and saw King Charming through the window?" asked Michael.  
  
Tess froze for a second. She quickly closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to erase the last few minutes from the minds of Max and Michael. After several seconds passed, she opened her eyes and smiled, confident that she had erased the faux pas from their minds.  
"I guess you two had better be going if you are going to go rescue Isabelle," said Tess, smiling innocently. "But before you leave, would you walk me down to the video store? I promised the Sheriff that I'd return some rentals for him."  
  
"So, what's really up?" asked Michael, once Tess was safely inside the video store.  
"I don't know for sure," said Max. "That was Kyle on the phone, and he sounded totally freaked out. He was going on and on about the granolith, and vibrations and music. And I think he said something about Antar too, but it was hard to keep everything straight, the way he was going on and on."  
"Is Maria alright?" asked Michael, his voice alarmed.  
"Yeah, according to Kyle, they're all okay, at least physically they are. Emotionally, that sounds like it's another story all together."  
"Where are they, my place?"  
"No they were at Alex's house, but Kyle said they'd meet us at the pod chamber."  
"Why there?" asked Michael, as they strapped on their helmets and climbed on the motorcycle.  
"I'm not sure," said Max. "He said he thought they needed the Granolith." After Max finished speaking, Michael kick started the motorcycle, and the two roared out of site  
  
  
A short while later, Michael pulled the bike in along side the Jeep, hidden behind a large sandstone outcropping of stones. The hot desert sun beat down on their backs as the climbed the path to the rock that concealed the pod chamber. Max passed his hand over the rock, and the door slid open and he and Michael walked inside.  
"What's the matter? What's wrong?" asked Max, while Michael moved across the chamber and took Maria in his arms.  
"Are you alright, Maria?" he asked.  
"I am now that you're here," said Maria, holding him tightly.  
"Liz, Isabelle, what's going on?" demanded Max, looking around the pod chamber. "Kyle sounded seriously upset when he called."  
"Relax, Max," said Liz, taking his hand in hers. "Kyle was upset, we all were, but we think we figured out."  
"Figured what out?" asked Max. "Liz, what are you talking about?"  
  
Liz and the others explained what happened both in the granolith, and in Alex's bedroom. Max and Michael listened to their story in amazement.  
"So, Maria started playing an Antarian song on Alex's guitar?" asked Michael. "But how, how would she know the music for that?"  
"We think being in the granolith chamber triggered something," explained Isabelle. "We want to try it again, but we need all of us to try it."  
"Why all of us?" asked Max. "It happened before without Michael and I."  
"It's something I read in the translation of the Dupes book," said Alex. "There is a destiny alright, and we're all involved in it."  
  
"Wait," said Michael. "Before we do anything else, I want to say something. Maria, I'm sorry I didn't believe you before, at the pancake house. You were right; we shouldn't have stayed. Right after you left, Tess showed up." The other seven stared at Michael, amazed that he would admit that he was wrong and Maria was right.  
"Wh-what did you say?" asked Maria.  
"I said you were right, we should have left the pancake place together. I'm sorry I doubted you."  
"That's what I thought you said," said Maria. "I love you Space Boy. But why are you doing this now?"  
"Well, I figure whatever you guys want to try is either going to blow us all up, or worse, and if it does, I don't want to die with that on my conscience."  
"Works for me," said Maria. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him deeply.  
  
"Look, as much as I'm enjoying this little mini episode of Moonlighting," said Kyle. "I'd really rather just get on with this."  
"Yeah," agreed Ava. "Too much of this will send me into sugar shock."  
"Okay, we're done," said Maria. "For now," she whispered, so that only Michael could hear her. "Lead on McDuff."   
  
Isabelle led the group into the chamber that hid the granolith. The imposing structure stood before them, silent.  
"Okay," said Liz. "Isabelle was standing here," she said, moving the taller girl into position. "And Ava was over here. Kyle, you were here, facing Ava, and Alex, you were standing here, on the outside, facing Isabelle. Max, I want you to go stand over there, on the other side of the granolith, over by Isabelle, and Michael, you need to be here, next to Ava." Liz continued to arrange everybody until she was satisfied with their positions. "Okay, Maria, you know what to do, right?" she asked. Maria nodded and went and stood facing Michael. Liz double-checked something against a paper she was carrying and nodded, they formed two squares around the granolith, the aliens stood with their backs to the granolith, while the Earth contingent faced the aliens, and the granolith.   
"Ready everybody," she asked as the granolith began to glow. "I'm going to step into position now. Remember, don't break the squares, no matter what happens." Liz placed the two copies of the destiny book onto the console in front of the granolith. She dropped the paper she was holding and stepped into the square, facing Max.   
  
The granolith began to glow. The light started at the base of the granolith and moved up the shaft, climbing higher and higher. When it reached the top of the granolith, it burst out in a dazzling display. Beams shot out and enveloped each member of the two squares in individual chambers of light. Liz looked at Max, and then slid her eyes to Ava who stood next Max, and Kyle who stood next to her. They seemed to glow, as though the light had penetrated them and was now reaching out. As she watched, beams of light shot out, connecting the eight chambers of light. Liz could feel the power and knowledge fill her soul. She felt stronger than she ever had before, and it was if she knew the secrets of both her world, and Antar.   
  
Suddenly it felt as though the Earth began to shake. Liz looked around, and saw that the chamber of light containing Kyle had begun to move. As she watched, she realized that she too was moving. The chamber of light containing Liz shifted so that she was standing next to Max. She looked and saw that Kyle was now standing next to Ava. Beams of light shot out and joined their individual chambers, creating one large chamber of light. More beams of light shot up to the top of the granolith, and the light that had once contained them all, began to travel back into the granolith. The light in the granolith burned bright for a minute, and then slowly began to fade darkening first at the top. The darkness moved down the granolith to the base and into the console. The two destiny books burned brightly for a minute and then faded out.  
  
"What the hell was that?" asked Max, as he looked around at the others. Instead of the two squares that Liz had arranged them in; they now made one square. Each of the four corners was comprised of a couple consisting of one Earthling, and one alien, and they now all faced the granolith.   
"Oh my God," said Liz. "It worked."  
"What worked?" asked Max. "What?"  
Liz didn't say anything, instead she walked over to the granolith and picked up one of the two destiny books and passed it to Max.  
"Read it," she said.  
"Read it?" said Max. "I can't read it, or can I?" He opened the book, and began to read out loud, in Antarian. After he read several passages, he went back and read them again, this time in English.  
  
"We did not send you to Earth to live in solitude," Max read from the book. "Nor do we plan for you to stay together in your four square, segregated from the rest of your new world. In this world, you will find many opportunities for love. When you find those that you are destined to be with, you will know what to do. Their power, coupled with yours will activate the granolith and reveal all to you. No matter how many times you try this, unless you are with those which you are destined to spend eternity, the granolith will not activate." Max stopped reading, and looked around the room, his gaze settling on Liz. "Us?" he asked, his voice incredulous. "We're destined to be together?"  
"We all are," said Liz. "We formed two squares, and activated the granolith and became one. We're supposed to be together," she said. "Forever."


	26. Chapter Twenty Six Who Saw That Coming

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Authors Note: I'm not very happy with the way the excerpt from the destiny book came out. It will probably be rewritten very very soon. But, as bad as it is, I think I managed to convey my point.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Twenty-Six Who Saw THAT Coming?  
  
Liz Parker walked down the halls of West Roswell High, a secretive smile playing on her lips. She felt as if she could conquer the world. She looked around the students streaming through the halls, looking for any of her friends. Further down the hall, she spied Max, and her smile grew brighter, until she realized that he had his arm around Tess. Her pace slowed a little as she observed them from a distance. To the casual observer, they looked like such a happy couple, but Liz could tell by the rigid way that Max held his shoulders that he abhorred what he was doing.  
  
I love you Max, Liz thought to herself, as she watched the walk farther down the hall. Max stopped, and turned around, his gazing seeking her out unerringly.  
I love you too, Liz,. She heard the words as clearly as if Max were standing next to her. She looked around, and tried to figure out where the voice had come from.  
I so did not hear that, she thought to herself.  
Yes, Liz, you did, echoed Max's voice in her head.  
  
Liz began to push through the crowd, trying to get closer to Max. She needed to talk to him, to make sense of what she had heard. As she drew closer, she saw Tess tug on Max's arm, and drag him down the hall, away from Liz. Liz turned abruptly, and she walked down the hall in the other direction. Her eyes stared blankly ahead as she broke into a run. Gone were the all the feelings of conquering the world. Instead, she felt as if she had been conquered. She turned a corner, and collided with something the consistency of a brick wall.  
  
"Ooph," said Liz as she fell to the floor.  
"Liz, Jesus, are you alright," a voice asked as a hand reached down to help her up.  
"Michael. I-I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going."  
"Going?" asked Michael, as he pulled her to her feet. You didn't look like you were going anywhere. It looked like you were escaping to me."  
"I was going to class," said Liz, as the bell rang.  
"Class for you is in the other direction," said Michael. "Now come on, tell me what's really wrong."  
"I can't, Michael. Not here anyhow."  
  
Michael looked around, and grabbed Liz by the hand, and led her up a flight of stairs, and down a now deserted hallway. He looked around again to make sure they weren't observed, pulled open a door, and shoved Liz inside.  
"The eraser room?" she asked as she looked around.  
"Yeah, I happen to know that Pam Troy and Karl Watson broke up, so they won't be using it this period. Now spill, what has you so worked up that you, Liz Parker the uber student, were leaving school. Was it something with Tess?"  
"Yes, no, not really," said Liz.  
"Well, that really cleared that up," said Michael. "Come on Liz, don't talk like Maria. I get enough of that from her. Now start at the beginning, and tell me everything."  
  
Liz explained about her feelings of euphoria, followed by the realization that she and Max could now communicate non-verbally. As she spoke, she felt a wave of panic wash over her, and she began to cry. Michael gathered Liz in his arms, and held her tightly, while she cried as if her heart would break. Finally, her tears subsided, and she gave a watery sniff and used her hands to wipe the tears from her face.  
"I'm sorry," she hiccupped. "I don't know what came over me."  
"Me either," said Michael, but we'll figure it out, together." He pulled Liz into his arms for another comforting hug. "The one thing you don't have to worry about is Maxwell. That guy is so in love with you, that it makes me sick." He was about to say more when the door to the eraser room burst open.  
"Oh, sorry Guerin," Liz heard a voice say. "I didn't know you and Maria were in here."  
  
"Bobby, come on," Liz heard a voice on the other side of the door. "I want to be alone with you."  
"Sorry, Pam. Guerin's in here with Maria."  
"That's not possible. I saw her in class when we were in the hall. Let me in, I want to see who he's in there with." Liz cringed when she realized the strident voice belonged to none other than Pam Troy.  
"Liz Parker?" Pam asked in amazement. "I can't believe you're in here with you supposed best friend's boyfriend. You are such a slut. I always knew you were too good to be true. I can't wait to tell, well, EVERYBODY!"  
  
Pam turned and pushed past the now forgotten Bobby and rushed out the door as the bell rang.  
"Sorry, man," he said to Michael.  
"Yeah, well, what are ya gonna do?" said Michael, shrugging his shoulders as Bobby left the room.  
"Michael!" said Liz, swatting him on the arm. "Why didn't you tell him the truth? Now they're going to think we were in here together."  
"Tell him what, Liz. That you were in here having a meltdown because you can hear your alien boyfriend's voice in your head. Okay sure, I'll go tell them that right now."  
  
"Your right," said Liz as she leaned against the door with a sigh.   
"I know I'm right," said Michael. "But I'll do it if you really want me to," he said, making a motion towards the door. Liz began to laugh.  
"Good, you're laughing again," said Michael. "I want to try something, if you're willing."  
"Michael," said Liz, laughing some more. "Contrary to what Pam Troy thinks, I am not a slut!"  
"Slut, no, manic, maybe," said Michael, under his breath. "Come on Liz, focus for a second. I want you to try and talk to me."  
"Michael, we have been talking."  
"With your mind, Liz" Michael said, patiently.  
"Oh, right, sorry," said Liz, clearly unrepentant. She stared intently at Michael for a minute and exploded into laughter again. "Well, did you get anything?"  
"Nothing. God, Liz, what's with you. A minute ago, you were in tears, and now you can't stop laughing. I mean, I'm glad you're not upset anymore, but this is ridiculous."  
  
"I'm sorry," she said. "I don't know what's wrong with me today.  
"Don't worry about it," said Michael. "Look, it's almost lunch time, lets get out of here and meet the others. We should let them know what's going on."  
"Great," said Liz, opening the door. "I'm starving anyhow. I feel like I could eat a horse or something."  
"I'll tell Max to take you out for horse tonight, but for the time being, you're going to settle for West Roswell High cafeteria cuisine."  
  
Liz and Michael grabbed some food from the cafeteria and went outside to find the others. Michael scanned the crowed and grabbed Liz's arm.  
"There they are," he said. "I see Alex, Isabelle and Kyle, over by that tree." The two made their way across the crowded lawn towards their friends. Liz tried to juggle her books and her tray, when she felt someone grab her arm.  
"You vicious bitch," she heard, just before she felt the stinging slap on her face. "You can't keep your own man, so you try to steal mine?" Liz shook her head, to try and clear the ringing she heard in here ears.  
"Maria!" she cried. "It wasn't like that, you have to believe me."  
"Believe you?" Maria yelled. "How can I ever believe you again? You were my best friend, I trusted you, and this is how you repay me? I don't ever want to speak to you again!" Maria released Liz's arm, and stormed off across the lawn. Michael looked helplessly at Liz for a moment before he took off after Maria. Liz walked slowly towards Isabelle and the others, never once noticing Tess, sitting on a nearby bench, a feral smile on her face.


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven Reunited

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Twenty-Seven Reunited  
  
Michael Guerin ran across the school grounds after Maria.  
"Maria, would you wait a minute!" he called as soon as he got into shouting range. "I can explain everything, just give me a chance!" Maria stopped and whirled around.   
"Give you a chance!" she yelled. "Give you a chance?" She poked him in the chest with her index finger. "I've had it up to here with giving you chances. I am so sick and tired of giving you second chances, Michael." She stepped closer to him and whispered, "Just play along."  
  
Michael blinked, but didn't show his amazement in any other way.  
"Look, Maria," he said. "You don't know what you are talking about.  
"I don't know what I'm talking about?" demanded Maria. "Fine, let's just see what I don't know. Did you, or did you not take Liz Parker to the third floor eraser room?"  
"I did, but it's not what you're thinking."  
"Damn it, Michael, of course it's what I'm thinking. I'm not stupid you know."  
"I didn't say you were stupid, Maria. Please, just give me a chance to explain," pleaded Michael.  
"The only thing I'm going to give you is this," said Maria as she leaned in and slapped him across the face. "Is Liz okay?" she whispered as her hand connected with his face.  
  
"Jesus, Maria. You're supposed to be Liz's best friend. She's going through a really rough time right now, and she just needed someone to talk to. It took a while, but I got her calmed down, that's all it was."  
"Well, I'm just so glad that you have Liz Parker's welfare at heart," said Maria, her voice sarcastic. "It really makes me happy to know that. What, just because she lost Max to Tess, she thinks she can move in and try and steal MY boyfriend? And from where I'm standing, it doesn't look as if she had to work very hard to do it."  
  
Michael, Maria, stop!" said Max as he walked across the lawn, with Tess by his side. "You're making a spectacle of yourselves.  
"But Max," said Maria. "Do you know where he was with Liz? The eraser room!"  
"What Liz does or doesn't do isn't any of my concern, Maria. I'm with Tess now," he added, putting his arm around her. "I'm sorry if you and Michael are having problems, but we have to do everything we can to not make spectacles of ourselves. You are both failing miserably."  
  
Why don't you just mind your own business, Max," snapped Michael "I'm sick and tired of you playing the king, and trying to decide how I should live my life!"  
"Stop it, the two of you, stop it right now," said Tess. "Michael, in case you are forgetting, he is your king," she added in an undertone. "Now both of you calm down."  
"Tess Harding, please report to the office," echoed a disembodied voice over a loud speaker. "Tess Harding, report to the office, immediately."  
"Oh, God!" said Tess, dramatically. "I wonder what that's all about?"  
"I don't know," said Max. "But you better go see. Low profile, remember?"  
"Fine, I'll go. Will I see you later, Max?"  
"Uh, I, uh have to go with Michael to pick something up," he said, referring to the destiny book Tess wanted. "And I'm scheduled to work at the UFO Museum tonight, so I probably won't see you until tomorrow."  
"Oh, okay," said Tess, brightening visibly at the thought of getting her hands on the book. "I'll see you later then, Max." She lifted her face to his, and waited expectantly. Max grimaced and bent down kissed her quickly on the lips.  
"Bye, Tess, I'll see you later." He waited and watched until Tess was out of view. Max turned to Maria and Michael. "Okay, explain everything, and make it quick."  
  
"Don't ask me," said Michael, holding his hands up. "I'm so far out of the loop on this one. All I know is I bumped into Liz in the hall, and she was totally freaked, so I took her to the eraser room to calm down."  
"Right, and Pam Troy, that bitch, saw them and made it a point to come running and tell me," said Maria. Tess happened to over hear her, and it seemed like a good opportunity to make her think that there was no chance of you and Liz reconciling."  
"Okay, that was a good idea," conceded Max. "But what about this scene? What was that all about?"  
  
"That was my idea," said Kyle, proudly, as he, Alex, Liz and Isabelle joined the small group. "Tess really doesn't like or trust any of us, and I figured if we could make her thing that you were all pushing us away, or we were pushing you away, it might come in handy."  
"She certainly believed it," said Max. "Hell, I believed it."  
"You actually thought that there could be anything between my Space Boy and Liz. Come here, girlfriend," she said to Liz. "Are you alright?"  
  
"I wasn't," said Liz, stepping into Maria's embrace. "Until Isabelle told me what was going on. Maria, I couldn't believe that you thought that I, that Michael, that we," said Liz. "I mean he would, I would, we would never do that!"  
"I know that Liz. Do you honestly think that I would believe anything that Pam Troy said? Besides I trust the both of you. But Liz, sweetie, what happened to set you off like that?"  
  
"It's complicated," said Liz, looking at Max. "I can't go into it here, especially since I'm no longer with Max, or your friend. Can you guys come to my room, tonight? I'll explain everything then."  
"Liz, I really think you ought to give them the highlights," said Michael. "Maybe one of them will have an idea about what happened."  
"Okay," said Liz. "Max," she turned to him. "Did what happened in the hall this morning really happen, or was I imagining it?" she asked.  
"It happened," he said. "I could hear you, as clear as I can hear you now."  
"Has this ever happened to you before? Can you talk to Michael, or Isabelle, or even Tess that way?"  
"No, I've never experienced anything like that," said Max.  
  
"That's what I was afraid of," said Liz. "Okay, short version, this morning, I was higher than a kite. I didn't think anything could ever bother me again. Then I saw Max and Tess in the hallway, and even though I could tell he was unhappy being with her, it still bugged me. I remember thinking to myself that I loved Max. All of a sudden, I could here Max's voice in my head, telling me he loved me. I thought I was hearing things, but then I heard his voice, telling me I wasn't. I freaked, I mean completely, and totally freaked. I took off running down the hall and crashed into Michael. He saw what bad shape I was in, and he took me someplace where I could calm down, and relax."  
"The eraser room?" asked Alex.  
"Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time," said Michael.  
  
"Excuse me," said Liz. "But did you want the long version or the short, because we're wasting time here."  
"Sorry," said Alex.  
"Anyhow, Michael let me rant and rave and basically cry my eyes out, until I calmed down. That was when Pam showed up. After she left, I freaked out again, only this time, instead of crying, I was laughing hysterically. Michael compared it to someone who was manic, and he's right. First I was higher than high, then I felt like my world was destroyed, then I was higher than a kite again."  
  
"After I calmed down again, I tried to talk to Michael the way I did with Max, but it didn't work. It was time for lunch, so we grabbed some food and went to find you and tell you what was going on."  
"That was when I went into my big number," interjected Maria. "Chica, I'm sorry I couldn't clue you into what was going on, but there wasn't any time."  
"It's okay, Maria. I get it. It was a good idea. I'm not mad. Look, before we go back to class, I want to try something. I want all of you to concentrate, and I'm going to try and tell you something. Is that okay with all of you?"  
  
After everyone gave their approval, Liz closed her eyes and concentrated hard.  
I hate Tess with every fiber of my being, she thought to herself.   
I know you do, Liz. We all do, but don't worry, I'll protect you, with my life if necessary, Liz heard Max's voice echo in her head. Her eyes snapped open, and she looked around the circle comprised of her friends.  
"Did anybody besides Max hear me?" she asked. They all shook their head, and she sighed. "Well, that's something," she said. "At least we know it's only me and Max, so far."  
"Okay, well, everybody knows what's going on so far, and we're all going to meet tonight. We'd better get going, we only have ten minutes more of lunch period," said Max.  
  
The group started walking back towards class, breaking up into smaller groups before they reached the quad. Kyle and Michael walked off towards the gym, while Isabelle, Maria and Max made their way towards the library. Liz and Alex wandered aimlessly for several minutes, talking about inconsequential things, enjoying the feel of the warm sun on their backs. The warning bell rang, signaling the start of classes in five minutes. They made their way past groups of students, heading back inside the school, when Liz stopped and made an abrupt U-turn.  
"Liz, where are you going?" asked Alex. "We have trig next. Your going in the wrong direction."  
"I just want to grab something to eat Alex. I'm starving, and I didn't get to eat any lunch today." She kept walking, and then stopped and looked back. "Are you coming?"  
"What? Uh, yeah, yeah, I'm coming," said Alex, absentmindedly. He walked next to Liz, ignoring her chatter while his mind reviewed a passage from the destiny book.


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight Time to Hit the Bo...

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Twenty-Eight – Time to Hit the Books  
  
Alex stood outside Isabelle's World History class, and struggled to get her attention. He kept waving at her, but her attention was focused entirely on the teacher. Finally, he decided to take a chance, and focused his energy on the teacher. He imagined her asking Isabelle to take a note to the office. He began to shake, and sweat beaded on his upper lip and forehead. Letting go of the image, he collapsed against the wall, and slid down onto the floor, and rested his head on his knees.   
  
The door to the classroom opened, and Isabelle stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind her. She started to walk away from Alex, in the direction of the office, a folded paper in her hand.  
"Isabelle," he gasped.  
"Alex?" said Isabelle, turning around. "Oh my God! What happened?" she cried as she knelt down on the floor next to him. "Did Tess do this to you?"  
"No, I did it to me," he whispered.  
"What?" cried Isabelle, puzzled. "How did you do this to yourself?"  
  
"I needed to talk to you," he explained. "I did everything except for knocking on the door to get your attention, but nothing worked. So I tried to mind warp Ms. Ferguson into sending you to the office with a note. Did it work?"  
"Yes it worked, you idiot. But why didn't you just wait until class was over. What could be so important that you almost killed yourself to tell me?"  
"I'm not sure yet," said Alex, as he struggled to get up. "I need to go home and look at something, and I wanted you to come with me. I figured two sets of eyes are better than one?"  
  
Isabelle slipped her arm around Alex's waist and helped him to his feet.  
"What are we looking for?" she asked as they slowly made their way down the deserted hall.  
"I don't know," he admitted. "I think I read something in one of the book translations, and I wanted your help to review them again," he paused, his steps faltered, and he started to slump to the floor.  
"Alex, don't bail on me now," said Isabelle, as she tightened her arm around his waist. Using all her strength, Isabelle managed to half lead, half carry Alex out to the parking lot, to his car.  
  
"Where are your keys, Alex?" she asked.  
"Pocket," he mumbled.  
"Damn," said Isabelle, as she slipped her hand into Alex's pockets, searching for the keys. "Alex, I want to get closer to you, but this isn't the what I had in mind." She crowed with triumph when she located the keys in his jacket pocket. She quickly opened the door, and slid Alex into the passenger seat. She climbed in the car and inserted the key into the ignition.  
  
Half way to Alex's house, Isabelle made a decision and turned the car around and headed out into the desert. She pulled his car in behind a sandstone outcropping. She climbed out and went around to the passenger side and opened the door.  
"Alex, Alex, come on, wake up," she said. Alex stirred and slowly opened his eyes.  
"Isabelle? What's wrong with me?" he asked, his voice slurred.  
"I don't know, but you've got to try and get out of the car. I can't carry you."  
  
Alex struggled to climb out of the car. Again, Isabelle slid her arm around his waist and helped to lead him up the path leading to the hidden pod chamber. She used her powers to activate the concealed door, and the two entered the cool chamber that sheltered the pods. She pushed Alex past the pods, and into the room that contained the granolith.  
"Come on Alex," she said to the nearly unconscious man in her arms. "Don't pass out on me now, Sweetie." She pulled and tugged Alex into the shadow of the granolith, and stood in front of him, holding her hands in his.  
  
The granolith began to hum again, the pitch higher this time, and a burst of blue light shot out, and enveloped Alex. The beam of light faded back into the granolith, but Alex seemed to glow with residual light. Isabelle released Alex's and, and moved it to her mouth as she watched in horrific fascination. Another beam of light shot forth from the granolith, this one gold in color, and it enveloped both Alex and Isabelle. Against her own volition, Isabelle felt herself move closer to Alex. Some inner voice instructed her to hold her hands out to his. She reached out, arms extended and palms facing the ceiling. Alex extended his arms and laid his hands on top of hers. The light began to swirl around them, faster and faster until they couldn't see anything but each other, and a golden blur.  
  
The light began to change from gold, to pure white, and Isabelle realized that they were no longer on the ground. Instead, they were floating, about 15 feet off the ground, and circling around the granolith. Isabelle felt herself slowly float back down to the floor, her hands still touching Alex's. The light faded and they were left breathless, but Alex was completely alert.  
"What was that?" he asked.  
"I don't have a clue," answered Isabelle. Are you okay? You were so out of it for a while."  
"Yeah, I'm fine now. Iz, I swear, while that whole thing was going on, I heard voices in my head, explaining how to use the mind warp thing so that I wouldn't hurt myself again."  
"Well, I hope you took notes, Alex, because I don't ever want to see you like that again. You scared me."  
  
"I scared me too," admitted Alex. "Isabelle, you mean everything to me. I'm sorry I scared you," he said. "Isabelle, I've spent a large portion of my life basically worshiping you from a distance. Now, all of a sudden, you're a part of my life. I spend half my time being amazed, and the other half worrying that you're only with me because I know your secret. All the way over here, I knew something was wrong with me. I felt as if my brain was melting, and I was so pissed, because I was never going to get the chance to find out if what was between us was real. But when I felt that blue light go through me, I knew I was going to be all right. The only thing I could think about then was talking to you and letting you know how I felt."  
"Alex, I," began Isabelle, but she didn't get to finish her sentence. Alex just kept talking.  
"But see, the thing is, after that other light hit us, I knew, I just knew that I was right where I was supposed to be, and you are the person I was supposed to be with."  
  
"Am I allowed to speak now?" questioned Isabelle. "Because if you had told me this before Alex, I could have saved you the whole golden glow experience. I am crazy about you Alex Whitman, and not just because you know my big secret. I'm crazy about YOU, the computer geek, the guitarist, and all around funny guy. Is that clear?"  
"Yes, ma'am," said Alex, bowing down low before her. "Now, do you think we can get out of here? I still want to go check those out those translations." He reached out and took Isabelle's hand, and the two left the granolith chamber.  
  
  
"Are you sure you don't know what we're looking for, Alex?" Isabelle asked.  
"No, but I think you'll know it if you see it," said Alex. "Just keep looking."  
"This is hopeless," said Isabelle, tossing the page she had been reading on the bed next to Alex's pile.  
"Do you want to take a break? Maybe get some food or something?" Alex asked.  
"No, said Isabelle, reaching to pick up the papers. "If you think it's here, then it's here. We just have to find it." She glanced that the papers that she held. "Oh, I think I grabbed some of yours, Alex."   
  
Alex reached out his hand for the paper, but Isabelle pulled it back, excitedly.  
"Wait a second, Alex. "Did you see this?"  
"Uh, Isabelle, I can't see anything, you're holding the paper," said Alex.  
"Alex, I'm serious, look at this. Read the two pages together."  
"Isabelle, you're worrying me, how can I read the two pages together?"  
"Like this, look," she began to read the first sentence from the page in her left hand. When she came to the end of the first line, she continued reading on the top of the page in her right hand. When she completed that line, she moved to the second line on the page in her left hand. "Don't you get it?" she said. "They wrote the two books to be read together. They each make sense when read alone, but when you read them together, they contain so much more information!"  
  
Alex took the two pages from Isabelle and read silently to himself.  
"Isabelle, you are a genius," he said. "I don't know why I didn't see it myself. Wait, that's it!" said Alex as he began to shuffle through the papers.   
"What's it, Alex?"  
"Yeah, yeah, here it is!" he shouted excitedly. "I was reading excerpts from both books the other night. Obviously, it reached my subconscious, but I didn't make the connection because I didn't realize the two books could be combined."  
"So you found it?" asked Isabelle. "Whatever it is."  
"This, this is it," said Alex. "But it isn't great."  
"Alex, will you just tell me already?" said Isabelle, her voice exasperated.  
"It looks like Liz is pregnant."


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine Revelations

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Twenty-Nine Revelations  
  
"What?" asked Isabelle, her face pale. "How could that happen?"  
"Uh, the usual way, Isabelle. You're physiology is the same as ours, you know."  
"Alex, that is not what I meant, and you know it," said Isabelle. "I just didn't realize that Max and Liz had become," she paused, searching her mind for the right word, "intimate," she finished, triumphantly.  
"Well, apparently they have," snapped Alex.  
"I wonder if Michael and Maria," began Isabelle. "Oh my God," she interrupted herself. "You don't think that Kyle and Tess," she stopped, and shuddered, disgusted at the thought.  
"Look Isabelle, first, Kyle isn't with Tess, he's with Ava, and second, I don't know what you think we talk about when we're together, but it's not our level of sexual activity," said Alex. "Or our lack thereof," he added in an undertone.  
  
Isabelle ignored Alex's last comment, and pulled her long blond hair off of her neck. Releasing it, she let it fall in a golden cascade down her back.  
"Are you positive?" she asked  
"Yes Isabelle, I am positive we don't talk about our sex lives!" Alex practically shouted.  
"I meant about Liz being pregnant," snapped Isabelle. "God Alex, what's you're problem today?"  
"I'm sorry Isabelle. This whole thing has me totally freaked out, that's all. I'm not totally positive that Liz is pregnant, but she sure has the mood swings, amplified to epic proportions."  
"Couldn't she just have a raging case of alien PMS?" Isabelle asked hopefully.  
"Yeah, it could, except for this." He passed the tow translations over to Isabelle, and indicated where she should read.  
  
"When the conception of a child occurs, the parents develop a temporary method of communication," Isabelle read out loud. "They will have the ability to communicate, non-verbally, with the child, as well as each other. This will ensure that the needs of the developing child will be met, and that in times of danger, the parents will be able to communicate with each other, to ensure the safety of the child. This will allow the needs of the child to be met until they are of an age that they can convey their needs in a more traditional manner. At this time, the ability to communicate non-verbally will diminish, until it is needed again." Isabelle let the pages drop into her lap. "Oh God, what are we going to do?"  
  
"The first thing we're going to do, is NOT panic," said Alex. "Then we're going to set something up on the computer that will combine the two books into one, and we are going to print out eight copies. We all have to study it, like we've never studied anything before in our lives. This isn't some stupid high school test, we're talking about; this is our lives."  
  
Isabelle looked at Alex in shock and amazement. This take-charge attitude was new for him, and she liked it. She liked it a lot. She watched while Alex type feverishly at the computer, and was surprised to notice that he had begun to fill out through the chest and shoulders. She noticed how the overhead light played across his dark hair highlighting some red gold strands leftover from the summer sun.  
"Alex," she said softly. "Have you ever thought about becoming, well, close?"  
"Isabelle, I can honestly say that I have thought about it almost constantly since the sixth grade when I learned what it was all about."  
"But you've never done anything about it," whispered Isabelle as she settled herself on his lap.  
"I didn't think you wanted me to," he said, his voice thick with desire.  
"Maybe what I wanted was for you to just take control of the situation," she said, unbuttoning his shirt.  
"And maybe," he said, lowering his mouth to hers, "I think it's something we should decide together."  
  
  
Several hours later, the printer finally spit out it's last piece of paper.  
"It's done," said Isabelle, unnecessarily.  
"It may be done, but I don't know if I am," said Alex as he adjusted the sheet to cover them both. "Isabelle, that was, I, we, wow!"  
"You know what, Alex I don't think I could have said it any better myself," laughed Isabelle. They both lay silently for several minutes. Alex idly twirled a strand of Isabelle's hair in his fingers, while she traced a lazy path on his chest with her index finger.  
"Alex, I love you."  
"I love you, Isabelle," they said simultaneously. The two laughed nervously at their declarations, and relaxed against the pillows on Alex's bed.  
  
"As much as I hate to say it, we should get going," sighed Isabelle.  
"I want to say something," said Alex. "And it's not because we," he paused, searching for the right words.  
"Had the most mind blowing sex known to either human or alien?" offered Isabelle.  
"Well, I was going to go with shard the most incredible gift two people could possibly share, but yeah, what you said works too," joked Alex. "I know this is going to sound kind of strange, considering we've never officially gone on a real date, but here goes." Alex reached over and took Isabelle's hand in his. "Isabelle Amada Evans, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"  
  
Isabelle gasped softly, unsure of what to say. She looked at Alex, at the love shining in his eyes, and suddenly, she knew exactly what to say.  
"Yes, Alex. I would be honored to be your wife." Alex kissed Isabelle, and slid out of bed and threw on his jeans. He crossed the room to his bureau, and rummaged through a draw. After a minute, he returned to the bed, a smile on his face, and his hand hidden behind his back.  
"Before she died," he said. "My grandma gave me something of hers, and she told me to use it when the time was right." He pulled his hand out from behind his back, and in it was nestled a small black velvet box. He opened the box and passed it to Isabelle. She took it with trembling hands and looked at the sapphire ring nestled inside.  
"Oh, Alex," she said, her voice trembling. "It's beautiful." Alex took the ring out of the box and slipped it on Isabelle's hand.  
"Come on," he said. "Let's go tell the others."


	30. Chapter Thirty Meeting at Liz's

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Thirty Meeting at Liz's  
  
Alex and Isabelle walked into Liz's room hand in hand. They had met Liz down in the café, and she sent them upstairs to wait, reassuring them that she would be up soon, with some snacks for them to eat.  
"Alex, how are we going to tell them?" asked Isabelle.  
"Tell them what, Isabelle. About us, or about Liz?"  
"Both, actually. I mean telling them about us will be okay, don't you think?" Isabelle asked, nervously.  
"Yeah, I think they'll be happy to know we're together, Isabelle. And as far as us getting married, I think they know and respect us enough to be happy with our decision."  
  
"Oh my God!" shouted Liz from the door, the tray in her hands teetering to one side. Alex jumped up and rescued the tray before it, and it's contents ended up on the floor of Liz's bedroom. Liz threw herself at Isabelle and hugged her tightly and then launched herself across the room and landed in Alex's arms, screaming all the while.  
"This is great, this is fantastic, this is the best news I could have ever had!" she shouted.  
"I take it she's happy about the news," Alex said over Liz's head to an amused Isabelle.  
"You think?" said Isabelle, arching an eyebrow.  
  
"No, don't you get it, this is so fantastic. First Max and I, and now you guys! It's like fate or something," Liz said, spinning around the room.  
"Wait, Liz, what do you mean, first you and Max?" questioned Isabelle.  
"Well, we've been keeping it quite because of everything, but look," she said, pulling out the necklace with the engagement ring Max had given her.  
"It's beautiful, Liz," said Isabelle.  
"Don't you get it?" asked Liz. "This means we're going to be sisters!"  
  
"Who's going to be sisters?" asked Michael, as he and Maria walked through the door.  
"Where are Max, Ava and Kyle?" asked Alex, interrupting Liz before she could say anything else.  
"Right here," said Kyle climbing through the window. He turned around and helped Ava through the window, and Max climbed through behind them.  
"We'll explain later," said Alex. "Let's eat first, I'm starving. What do you have for us to eat Liz?"  
"Oh, the usual, chips, dip, cookies, ice cream, Tabasco sauce. Nothing out of the ordinary."  
  
The gang attacked the tray like a hoard of starving prisoners who hadn't seen food in months.  
"Oh gross," said Maria, watching Liz. "Chica, you are my best friend, and best friends let a lot of things slide, but I have to ask, Liz, what the hell are you eating?" Everyone turned to look at Liz, who had a cookie loaded with onion dip and topped with a dollop of ice cream in her hand.  
"What?" she asked defensively, "It's good. Have you ever tried it?"  
"Liz, I've known you almost all my life," said Kyle. "So I feel like it's up to me to tell you that is the most disgusting combination of food I have ever seen I my life."  
"What, is it any stranger than dumping Tabasco sauce on ice cream?" demanded Liz. "We all have different tastes, and I'll thank all of you to get the hell off of my back!" she shouted.  
  
Isabelle shot Alex a nervous look, concerned about the mood swings Liz seemed to be suffering. It seemed as though she was having typical pregnancy symptoms, but they were magnified because of the whole alien thing.  
"Uh, Alex and I have something we want to tell you," she said. "Liz already knows. I want all of you to just listen for a minute and not say anything until we're done telling you our news." She reached over and took Alex's hand in hers. "We're getting married," the two said together.  
  
The room erupted in chaos. People were laughing, and yelling, and in Liz's case, crying. Ava put two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly, effectively silencing the room.  
"Ah, people, why don'tcha all shaddup and let them tell us what's goin on," she said.  
"Ava's right," said Isabelle, passing Liz the box of tissues from her nightstand. "Why don't you listen, while we tell you what happened." The two took turns telling the others about Alex's mind warp on the teacher, and how it almost killed him. Isabelle filled them in on what happened in the granolith chamber.  
"And then, we went back to Alex's, and were going over the two books, when we realized that the two books are supposed to be read together!" said Isabelle, her voice filled with excitement.  
  
"What do you mean, together?" asked Michael.  
"It's really kind of cool," said Alex. "Each book on it's own makes sense, but if you read, say page 35 of our book, when you get to the bottom, you don't turn the page to go to page 36, you go to page 35 of the other book. When you read them that way, it tells the complete story of your life on Antar, the war, how you were created, and a bunch of other stuff. We haven't finished reading them yet, so we don't know everything that's in there."  
"So Alex, set up a program to combine the two books into one," continued Isabelle. "And he printed off eight copies, one for each of us. Alex pointed out to me that we need to know these books inside out."  
  
"That's great," said Max. "And I'm very glad you found that out. That was an awesome bit of work, but it still doesn't explain why Alex needed to talk to you so badly that he almost mind warped himself into oblivion, or how the two of you, who have never even dated, managed to push right past going out to getting married. Don't get me wrong," Max continued. "I'm not saying I'm not happy, but it does seem rather sudden."  
"Yeah, way to sudden to me," added Maria. "I refuse to believe it. I don't see a ring," she added, her voice sharp.  
"Maria, what is your problem?" asked Michael.   
"I don't have a problem, but how do we know this isn't some kind of alien trick or something?"  
  
"So what your saying is that Isabelle doesn't really love me, she's only using me to meet her own evil needs," said Alex.  
"Right, as soon as we mate, I'm going to suck the life force out of him. You found me out, Maria," said Isabelle, as she extended her hand and showed Maria, and the others the sapphire ring she wore on her left hand.  
"You're being a class act brat," Alex added. "Did any of us say anything when you started dating Michael? No, we trusted you both to do what was best for you. Why can't you give Isabelle and I the same right?"  
"I'm sorry," said Maria. "I didn't mean it that way, at least I don't think I did. It's just that it all came out of the blue. Isabelle," she said turning to the other girl. "I know you're not going to hurt Alex by sucking out his life force, but you do have the power to hurt him. And let me tell you something. If you ever do hurt him, I will find a way to hurt you, alien powers be damned."  
  
The group laughed at the tough guy image that Maria tried to convey, and the tension in the room was broken.  
"I guess it's time for Liz and I to share our news," said Max. Alex and Isabelle shared a nervous glance, because they knew they had more news to share as well.  
"I asked Liz to marry me several weeks ago, and she said yes," said Max.  
"First this place is Mayberry, and now it's like Noah and his friggen ark, the way youse guys are pairin up," said Ava.  
"Yeah, besides, we have more we need to tell you," said Alex.  
  
"What else could you possibly have to top the marriage announcements of you guys, and Max and Liz," asked Kyle.  
"Oh, you'd be surprised," said Alex, quietly.  
"Look, before we start, I need to talk to Maria," said Michael. He motioned to Maria, and the two climbed out the window and onto the roof. Michael sat on the ground, with the wall to Liz's room at his back, and pulled Maria down so that she sat between his bent legs, her back resting on his chest. He rested his chin on her hair and wrapped his arms around her tightly.  
  
"You're angry," he said. "Aren't you?"  
"Me, angry," Maria said stiffly. "Why would I be angry?"  
"Because Alex proposed to Isabelle," answered Michael.  
"Why would I be angry about that? Why would I be angry that one of my best friends is suddenly planning to marry a woman who hasn't looked twice at him in the past two years?" Maria railed. "Why would something like that bother me?"  
"I think you're also mad because we haven't discussed taking a step like that," continued Michael, as if Maria hadn't spoken.   
"Maybe a little," admitted Maria.  
  
"I've spent my whole life looking for a place to belong," said Michael. "I'd go over to Max and Isabelle's and see what their lives were like, and look at mine, and I knew there was a reason. I didn't deserve to belong, to have what they had. But then I met you, Maria, and that began to change. I don't know how to live Max and Isabelle's life, and I know I'm a lousy boyfriend. I screw up even the simplest things. I'm not romantic, I never think about flowers, and I suck at buying gifts, but I do love you, Maria. I'm not ready to take that step yet, I still have so much to learn before I'll be ready, but when I am, I want that step to be with you."  
"Michael?" said Maria.  
"Yeah."  
"Shut up and kiss me!"  
  
"Um, I hate to interrupt you two," said Alex, sticking his head out the window. "But we have a lot to cover."  
"Yeah, we'll be right in," said Michael. He stood up, and reached down to help Maria. The two climbed back into the room and sat down in a giant beanbag chair Liz had in the corner. As soon as everyone was settled, Alex passed out the copies of the destiny book to everyone.  
"What's this?" Kyle asked, pointing to the post it note that stuck out of everyone's copy.  
"Yeah, about that," said Alex. "It's what Isabelle and I were researching today. I, God, there just isn't any easy way to say this," said Alex, running his hand across his face. "So I'm just going to say it. Liz, we think you're pregnant."


	31. Chapter Thirty One Are There Cliff Note...

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Thirty-OneAre There Cliff Notes For This Book?  
  
"Liz, did you hear me?" said Alex. "We think you might be pregnant."  
"I heard you the first time, Alex," said Liz. "I just think you don't know what the hell you are talking about, there is no way I could be pregnant. And even if you thought I was, what gives you the right to make such a pronouncement, in front of a room full of people. Besides, there is NO WAY I could possibly be pregnant!"  
  
"No way?" asked Isabelle, her eyebrow raised. "Are you trying to tell me that you and Max haven't,"  
"No, Isabelle!" shouted Liz. "I'm not telling you ANYTHING! I thought my parents were out for the evening, but apparently, I was wrong. I guess all six of my parents are here to night to confront me about my slutty behavior!"  
  
"Liz, relax, nobody is here to confront you about anything, least of all, being a slut," said Alex. "I mean come on, this is us here."  
"Well, what makes you so certain that I'm pregnant, Alex," Liz snapped. She glared angrily at her friend, but everyone could see the glimmer of fear in her eyes. Maria clambered up out of the beanbag, and crossed the room to where Liz sat. She sat down next to Liz and took her hand in hers and squeezed it tightly.  
"Liz, chica, just listen to him. Alex loves you. He wouldn't be saying this if he didn't think he had a reason.  
  
Liz yanked her hand from Maria's and glared at her. But even as she looked at her best friend in anger, her expression began to crumble and the tears welled up in her eyes. She struggled to remain composed as she said, "Fine, I'll listen." But her anger and fear were apparent to everybody in the room.  
  
"At the risk of sounding like everybody's favorite science teacher, Mr. Seligman, everyone open your books to the page that I marked," said Alex. Eight copies of the book flipped open in unison. Liz read the passages that Alex had highlighted, and her stomach began to churn. She jumped up, the book sliding unnoticed from her lap. She ran across the room, to the bathroom and slammed the door shut before she slumped on the floor in front of the toilet. Her stomach heaved, and she began to retch. She heard the door click open, but she didn't turn her head to see who had followed her. Another wave of nausea hit, and he felt someone pull her hair back as she threw up.  
  
"Hey, relax," she heard Ava say as she rubbed her back. "It ain't so bad. Babies are pretty cool. Besides, look at the daddy. I'd a loved to have a baby with Zan," she added, wistfully. Liz groaned and used the sink to pull herself up. She grabbed a glass and rinsed out her mouth. When she was finished, she sat back down on the cool tile floor and rested her head on her knees.  
  
"A baby," she whispered. "I'm going to have a baby."  
"Yeah, I think we already figured that out," said Ava. "The question is, what are ya gonna do about it?"  
"What do you mean, what am I going to do about it?" asked Liz  
"Not everybody who gets pregnant ends up havin a baby," Ava answered.  
"No! I couldn't do that," said Liz. "This is a baby; a living, growing child. That is so not an option." She put her hands protectively over her abdomen.  
"I didn't think it was," said Ava with a smile. "It wouldn't have been for me neither, but it got you thinkin' in a good way about the baby. Now come on, lets get outta here before the Michael tries to blow up the door or somethin'," said Ava.  
  
Liz and Ava exited the bathroom and joined the others in the bedroom.  
"What did we miss?" asked Liz, sitting down next to Max  
"Pretty much nothing," answered Kyle. "We all just stared at each other with blank looks on our faces.  
"Well, we are an exciting bunch, aren't we," she said, brightly.  
"Liz, don't you think we should talk about this?" asked Max.  
"Don't," said Liz, holding up her hand. "Just don't. Not here, not now. I cannot do that right now. I think we need to start looking at this book, page by page, until we know it inside and out. Alex, can you give us a brief overview of the book?"  
  
"The book has about forty chapters," said Alex. "They detail the history of Antar, the war, how you guys came into being, your physiology. There are also chapters on your abilities, and how they work, and what they think your lives will be like on Earth. There is also a section about activating the granolith to go home," he added quietly.  
"What!" shouted Michael. "We have a way of going home?"  
"Michael, wait," said Alex. "There is more to it than just going home. It says that unless you have been contacted by a member of the Royal Senate, not to consider using the granolith unless it was an emergency."  
  
Maria looked down at the book in her lap, her face flushed. Michael threw his arms around her and hugged her excitedly.   
"Did you hear that, Maria? We can go home!"  
"I am home," she said softly, but Michael didn't hear her in his excitement.  
"Michael!," Max said, his voice sharp. Michael looked at his friend, puzzled, and saw that Max was pointing at Maria, who was struggling not to cry.  
"I did it again, Maria, didn't I? I opened my mouth before I thought. I'm sorry. I meant what I said outside, Maria. I belong here. Here is where home is. I just got so excited when I heard we had a way to go back there, that I reacted. I spent almost all my life trying to figure out where I came from and how to get back there. It was just a gut reaction, Maria. Will you forgive me?"  
  
Maria wiped the tears from her eyes, and tried to smile.  
"I won't deny that it hurt, Michael. It hurt a lot, but I guess I do understand. I mean, if someone from Capitol Records walked through the door and offered me a recording contract, I'd probably say yes, right away without thinking about how it would effect you, or anybody else."  
  
"Okay, if we're clear on the topics we're not going to discuss," said Isabelle. "And we have removed all feet from the mouths in which they've lodged themselves, can we please get back to business. I say we each take five chapters and start breaking this book down. Liz, do you have anything we can write on?"  
"Yeah, in my desk, the lower left drawer, there are some notebooks. Pencils are in the center drawer," said Liz.  
  
Kyle opened the desk drawer and pulled out a stack of brand new legal pads, still in their protective shrink-wrap.  
"Uh, Liz," said Kyle. "Why do you have a stack of brand new, never been opened notebooks and a bunch of newly sharpened pencil. School's been in session for a couple of months now?"  
"It never hurts to be prepared," Liz said, defensively.  
"You are such a geek, Liz," Kyle said affectionately as he passed out the notebooks and pencils. "You know," said Kyle as he flipped through the book, looking for the chapters he was going to read. "This book looks pretty intense. I don't suppose there are Cliff Notes for it."


	32. Chapter Thirty Two Under the Stars

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Thirty-Two Under the Stars  
  
Liz grabbed her work, and climbed out the window. She sat, leaning against the wall, so that the light from her bedroom shined out the window and onto the computer printout Alex gave her. She had just started to read when Max climbed out the window and sat down beside her.  
"Hi," he said.  
"Hi."  
"So."  
"Yeah," said Liz.  
"Liz, we can't do this, we have to talk about this," said Max. "That non-verbal communication thing works great. I heard you loud in clear when you ran into the bathroom. You wanted me to leave you alone, and I respected that, but Liz, we have to talk about this. We're having a baby. That isn't something we can ignore, and hope that it will go away. We have to deal with it."  
"Believe me, Max, I'm well aware of the fact that we have to deal with this. I'm the one who has this baby growing in side of me. Not you, not Isabelle, not anybody in that room. It's me. I'm the one who is whole life is going to change!"  
  
Max sat in silence, letting Liz's fear and rage wash over him. He waited until her anger ran out, and he drew her into his arms.  
"Liz, don't, please don't be like this," said Max. "You're not alone. It's not just your life that's going to change. Our lives will change. Us, you and me, together, we're a team. We didn't expect this to happen, but it did, and we'll get through it, together."  
  
"How Max, explain to me how we're going to get through this, because I sure as hell don't know. Max, I'm a junior in high school, and I'm sure as hell not ready for this. I love you; Max, and I love the idea of marrying you, someday, in the future. But not now; and not because I'm going to have a baby. Oh God, Max, what are we going to do?" Liz began to sob, the tears burst forth like water exploding from a damn. She cried for herself, and for Max, and for their friends, all of them living in fear. But most of all, she cried for the baby that she carried. A baby that was being born into a world that wasn't ready to accept it. A baby that carried the fate of not one, but two planets on it's shoulders.  
  
Liz's sobs subsided, and she lay, cradled in Max's arms. She felt as weak as a newborn kitten.  
"Feel better?" Max asked.  
"I don't know if better is the word I would use, but I do feel a little more in control than I had before," said Liz.  
"Well, that's something," Max said with a laugh  
"Max, how did it happen? I mean, we used protection, right?"  
"Yeah, we did, but like they said told us in health class…."  
"The only full proof method is abstinence," they finished together.  
  
"How do you want to handle this, Max?" asked Liz.  
"I don't know yet," Max admitted. "I suppose we can't really do anything until we finish researching the book, and see what answers we can find in there."  
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Liz said. "We'd better find out all we can before we do anything else. I mean, it's going to be hard enough having to tell our parents about this. Imagine having to tell them the baby is going to come out green, and three feet high, with seventeen eyes, or something."  
"Real funny, Liz," said Max, smacking her lightly on the hand. "Well if that's the case, then we know there's no chance that you cheated on me, is there?"  
"Shows you what you know," said Liz, smartly. "You never suspected a thing about me and that guy from Venus, did you?" The young couple laughed together, and then settled back to look up at the stars.  
  
"Do you want to go back?" Liz asked, looking at the starry night sky. "I don't think so," said Max. "Maybe at one time in my life, I would have liked to go back, but now, there is no other place that I'd rather be than right here with you."  
"I wouldn't stop you, you know," said Liz.  
"You wouldn't have to," said Max. "Liz, I would never willingly leave you. Everything I ever wanted, I've found here, with you."   
"I love you, Max."  
"And I love you," Max replied, placing a kiss on her lips."  
  
  
Liz and Max worked diligently on their chapters for the next hour before the cool night air drove them back inside. When the climbed back into Liz's room, the found Michael and Maria asleep in the bean bag chair. Isabelle and Alex sat on the floor, on a pile of overstuffed pillows that Liz kept for just such a purpose. The whispered back and forth to each other as the read passages from the book and scribbled notes madly. Kyle and Ava were on one end of Liz's bed, both of them half asleep.  
"Hey," said Alex, his voice low. "You guys okay?"  
"Yeah, I think so," said Max. "We've decided not to make any decisions until we've gathered all the information we can."  
"That makes sense," said Isabelle. "And you know that no matter what, you can count on us. We'll do whatever we can to help."  
"Thanks Isabelle, that means a lot," said Liz. She moved over to her bed, and sat on the end opposite Kyle and Ava, careful not to disturb them.  
  
"Liz, Max?" Alex said. "I want to apologize. I shouldn't have told you my suspicions that way, in front of everyone. I should have told you and Max alone."  
"Alex, don't worry about it. I know you were rattled by the whole situation. I mean, when you take into consideration everything that happened to you today, it's perfectly understandable," said Liz.  
"No, it wasn't, I handled it all wrong, and I'm sorry."  
"Alex, think about last year, before you knew what was going on. How many things did I handle wrong with you?" asked Liz.  
  
"Liz is right," said Max. "We all make mistakes. None of us are perfect. We need to just put it behind us, and concentrate on the future. We have to get going with this book, and there is still the whole thing with Tess we have to deal with. We haven't even given that any thought at all," said Max.  
"I have," said Ava, from her place on the bed.  
"You've what?" asked Isabelle.  
"Tess, I think I know what to do about her," said Ava. "I think we should mind warp her ourselves."


	33. Chapter Thirty Three Busted!

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Author's Note This part is Fluff, fluff and even more fluff. I figured since I was re-writing Season Two, I'd better put the parents in the mix.   
  
Chapter Thirty-Three Busted  
  
The morning sunlight streamed through the lace panels that covered Liz's windows. The bedroom door opened slightly, and Nancy Parker peered in check on her daughter before joining her husband to open the café. She smiled slightly to herself when she saw the eight kids asleep, with books and papers spread out around them. She closed the door quietly and went downstairs to join her husband.  
  
"Geoff, you're not going to believe what I just saw upstairs," she called as she made her way down the stairs leading to the café. She walked in and came face to face with Philip and Diane Evans, Jim Valenti and Amy Deluca, and Charles and Margaret Whitman, sitting at a table with her husband. "Oh," she says faintly, "maybe you will."  
  
"Good morning, Nancy," said Jim, raising a finger to the brim of his hat. "I'm sure you're wondering why we're all here."  
"I'm going to go out on a limb, and say it has something to do with the eight kids who are asleep upstairs," said Nancy. "Let me guess, none of you knew they were here?"  
  
"Don't get upset, Nancy," said Diane. "We didn't know where they were at first. Isabelle had said something about studying with Alex and Liz and Kyle, and Max had mentioned about hanging out with Michael."  
"And Maria is always with Michael," added Amy. "We didn't start getting worried until after midnight."  
"Amy called me," said Jim, taking over the story. "And I decided to swing by and see if any of the kid were here. I knocked on the door, but there was no answer."  
  
"No, we were out of town last night. We drove in early this morning to open the restaurant," said Nancy.  
"Yes, Geoff explained all that to us already," said Jim. "Anyhow, I checked the perimeter of the building, and I saw the lights on upstairs. I climbed the fire escape and looked in the window and saw the kids, fast asleep, with schoolbooks and papers all over the place. I climbed back down, and contacted everybody and let them know the kids were safe and asleep. We all agreed to just leave them where they were for the night. We decided it would be better to meet here in morning and talk to the kids."  
"Exactly," said Philip Evans. "The kids need to know that while we do trust them, we still keep track of their whereabouts.  
  
"I don't think we should be too hard on them," said Margaret Whitman, nervously. "I mean they fell asleep studying. It's not like they were out all night drinking or doing God knows what."  
"Margaret, no one is saying we torture them, but they do have to realize that what they did is wrong," said Charles Whitman.  
"Your wife is right, Charles. We don't want to jump down their throats, but we do need to let them know that we do keep track of them, and that they do have a responsibility to let us know where they are," said Jim.  
  
Liz crept quietly up the stairs and slipped back into her room. She had been on her way downstairs to get some juice when she overheard the parents talking. She quickly woke her friends and explained the situation.  
"And there is no point in going out the window, they all know we're here," she concluded.  
"We need a plan, and we need it fast," said Max. "Okay, we've been studying all night. What were we studying? What classes do we have in common?"  
"World History," said Maria. "We're all taking it, we just have different sections, that's all."  
  
Liz stood quietly for a minute as though concentrating intently. She crossed the room and rummaged through her desk and pulled out another stack of notebooks.  
"More notebooks, Liz?" asked Kyle. "God, you are such a geek."  
Liz ignored him and went to her backpack and pulled out her World History book and notebook. She held both books in her hands, and closed her eyes tightly, a look of fierce concentration on her face. She laid both books down on her bed, and picked up one of the blank notebooks and laid it down next to them. She placed on hand on her notebook and one on the blank notebook. After a minute she stopped and passed it to Max. She continued the process until she had done all seven notebooks. When she finished, she smiled triumphantly and grabbed all but one from Max, and passed them out to her friends.   
  
"Take them, do what you have to, to make them look like they're yours," she said. As one, they opened the books and stared in shock at page after page of notes.  
"Liz, how did you do that?" asked Isabelle. "How did you KNOW how to do that?"  
"We don't have time to go into it," said Liz. "Now come on everybody, lets get downstairs, and make it good!"  
  
"My mother is going to be so pissed," Maria said loudly, as they walked down the stairs.  
"No, Maria, it's my fault. You were out with me. I'm the one your mother should blame," said Michael. Everyone stared at him.  
"What?" he whispered. "Liz said to make it good."  
"Good yes, not unbelievable," Alex whispered back.'  
  
They walked into the café, and managed to look surprised at the sight of the parental contingent waiting to greet them.  
"Good morning everyone," said the Sheriff. "Out a little late, aren't you? Kyle, what do you have to say for yourself?" Kyle flashed his father a panicked look and motioned to Ava. "And Tess," continued the Sheriff after a slight double take. "What were the two of you thinking?"  
"Dad, really, I'm sorry. We're sorry. We got together to study and totally lost all track of time." Kyle saw his father's eyes flicker towards the notebook he was holding and he nodded slightly.  
"Let me see?" he said.  
"What?"  
"If you were studying all night, you must have taken a lot of notes. Let me see the book, son."   
  
Kyle passed the book to his father, and tried not to smile. Jim flipped through the notebook for several minutes.  
"Very impressive," he said, passing the book back to Kyle. "If those notes are any indication, you are going to do very well in that class."  
  
"Now wait just a second, Sheriff," said Charles Whitman. "How do we know that's not just a dummy notebook they made for us to look at in case they got caught?"  
"Oh please, Dad," said Alex. "Right, we made one notebook, and gave it to Kyle in the hopes that his father would be the one to want to look at his notes. Have a little faith, why don't you?" He passed his notebook to his father. Charles Whitman took the book and began to leaf through it, studying it carefully.  
"Well, son, you spelt Euphrates wrong several times, but other than that, I can see you worked very hard last night. I apologize," he tacked on, grudgingly.  
  
"Here," said Max, passing his and Isabelle's notebooks to their parents.  
"I don't need to see those, Max," said Philip. "We believe you. We just want you to be aware of the fact that you acted very irresponsibly by staying out all night. We were worried sick until we heard from the sheriff."  
"The sheriff found us?" said Max. "Why didn't you just wake us up and send us home?" he asked, turning to Jim.  
"I thought about it," said Jim. "But I knew I wouldn't be comfortable with Kyle driving himself and Tess home if he were that tired, and I figured your parents would all feel the same way. I called them and let them know you were all alive and safe, and we all agreed to leave you where you were for the night."  
  
"So, why the big showdown at the CrashDown corral?" asked Maria.  
"Because, Maria, we are your parents, and part of our job is making sure that you know where we stand on certain issues. Staying out all night is one of those issues. And it won't ever happen again, will it?" asked Amy.  
"No, but,"  
"Maria!"  
"No, Mom," said Maria.  
"Look, Ms. Deluca, this was all my fault," began Michael.  
"Save it!" said Amy, holding up her hand. "I heard your little performance when you were coming down the stairs."  
"And?" Michael asked hopefully.  
"Not buying it," said Amy. "But you do get an A for effort. Much like the A test paper I trust you will be showing me very soon."  
"Oh," said Michael, his voice dejected.  
  
"We're all really sorry," said Liz. "It's not like we planned this or anything.  
"Well, that much is obvious," said Nancy Parker. "In my experience, most people don't plan to fall asleep, sitting up, with their history books in their laps. Now why don't you all go home and get some sleep, and then go do something fun. You obviously used "date night" to study, so maybe you've earned a little time off."  
"Mom?" said Maria, turning to her mother.  
"I suppose so," said Amy. "Just be home at a reasonable time this time."  
Both the Whitmans and the Evans gave their consent as well.   
"Dad?" Kyle asked questioningly.  
  
"Of course kids," said Jim with a smile. "Now why don't you come with me, and I'll drive you home. I had one of the deputy's take your car home last night Kyle. I didn't want to take the chance of you driving home last night if you did wake up."  
"Uh, okay, Dad," said Kyle, not fooled by the smile on his father's face. "We'll just firm up our plans and meet you outside.  
  
After making plans for a late picnic at Millers Park, the Alex and his parents left the café, along with Maria and her mother. Max and Isabelle left next, followed by their parents. Liz decided to work for a few hours, and Michael decided to stay and help with the morning rush, and to keep an eye on Liz in case she started to subject any of the customers to one of her alien induced mood swings. Kyle and Ava walked out the door and met Jim Valenti, waiting for them on the sidewalk.  
"Okay," he said, once they were clear of the café. "I think you have some explaining to do, starting with who the hell is this? And don't try and tell me she's Tess, because Tess was home last night, and when I left this morning, she was still sound asleep!"


	34. Chapter Thirty Four Let's do the Mind W...

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Thirty-Four Let's Do The Mind Warp Again  
  
Liz and Ava spread a blanket out under a tree in the grassy park  
  
"Should we really be doing this out in the open?" questioned Liz. "I mean there is a chance of Tess could walk by."  
  
"Nah," said Ava, smoothing the blanket. "Kyle's dad was real cool once he found out about me. He offered to take Tess shoppin or somethin'. Said that way he could keep an eye on her, and keep her outta our hair for a while."  
  
"So he wasn't too angry then?"  
  
"Angry doesn't begin to cover what he was at first. He was really pissed that youse guys kept somethin' this big from him."  
  
"We weren't exactly keeping it from him," said Liz. "We just forgot to tell him."  
  
"Yeah, well, once he chilled out, he was really pretty cool. Kinda made me wish he were my dad," she said wistfully. Pretty cornball of me, huh?"  
  
"Ava, no, it's not," said Liz. "It's not at all. And Jim may not be your father, but now that he knows about you, he'll watch over you, just like he does all of us. And you have Michael. He's always wanted a family too, and now he has you. You have each other. And you have the rest of us! One thing we've learned over the past year is that we need to stick together. We're stronger together than apart."  
  
"Yeah, that's what the sheriff said. Anyhow, Kyle explained to his dad about what Tess has been doin, and he was pissed. He says he's gonna go get a platinum watchband or somethin'. I told him he oughta I could pierce his nose, or eyebrow, but he wasn't up with that."  
  
"No, I can imagine he wasn't," laughed Liz.  
  
"But he did slip me some cash, told me to go buy myself some stuff, try and blend in a little. He said it would be safer for me. What do you think?" she asked shyly.  
  
Liz pulled back and looked closely at her friend. "Oh my God, Ava, look at you. You look fantastic!" she cried.  
  
"Thanks," said Ava. "It was really cool of you and Maria to lend me some of your stuff, but it's really great, but havin stuff of my own is even better." She smoothed the yellow bandeau top she was wearing, and looked bashfully at the ground. "Do ya think Kyle will like it?"  
  
"Ava, I think Kyle would like you wearing, just about anything," Liz said laughing. "What's the deal with you and him anyhow?"  
  
"Well, I"  
  
"Sh-sh, they're coming. We'll talk later," whispered Liz.  
  
Liz and Ava sat back and watched as Michael, Kyle, Maria, Alex, Max and Isabelle approached them, carrying bags of food and drinks. They sat in the warm sunshine and enjoyed the food and talked about trivial things. Liz watched with amusement the way Kyle's eyes lingered over Ava.  
  
"The way I see it," said Max, throwing a drumstick onto his plate. "Ava's plan is the best one we have right now."  
  
"Well, it ain't really a plan," said Ava. "More like an idea."  
  
"Yeah, but it's a good idea," said Kyle. "Give that bitch a taste of her own medicine. We just have to figure out the whys and wherefores."  
  
"Wait," said Maria. "What about Alex, can he handle doing something like this. I'm mean, look what happened to him last time. Isabelle said he just about died. Oh my God! Look at those ants. They're all over my potato salad. Get them off, get them off!" Maria cried. "Why are you all laughing at me and the sorry state of my potato salad?" she asked.  
  
"Because there are no ants on your potato salad, Maria," said Alex. "I just made you think there were. And I'm okay, see?" he said, spreading his arms out wide. "Whatever happened to Isabelle and I in the granolith seems to have taken care of the almost dying when I mind warp thing."  
  
"Actually," said Michael. "There was something about that in my part of the book. It said something about our passing on our powers, and that the granolith will help their bodies adapt to their new powers. It also said that powers like mind warping and healing will take the biggest toll on their bodies until they adapt."  
  
"That makes sense," said Kyle. "I mean, blowing stuff up, or defending yourself is instinctive. Kind of like fight or flight, you just do it. You're reacting to a situation. Healing and mind warping require a lot of thought and concentration. So it stands to reason that those two things would be more stressful to the human body."  
  
"Great, so we know Alex's mind isn't going to go all mushy, and we know what to do if it does," said Maria. "Now we only have to figure out what we're going to do."  
  
"I've actually been thinking about that," said Isabelle. "The first thing we need to do is warp her into thinking she has the book. From there, she's going to approach Alex about decoding it."  
  
"It's a good start Isabelle, but then what?" asked Alex.  
  
"Well that will depend on what she does," said Isabelle. "From there, its just a matter of playing along with her, and manipulating things so she thinks we're doing what she wants us to do."  
  
"This is going to get so confusing," said Liz. "There are just so many things to keep track of."  
  
"We'll do it, Liz, because we have to. We don't have a choice," said Max, slipping his arm around her shoulder. "Now that we have the basis of a plan, I have a couple of other things I want to talk about."  
  
"Wait," said Michael. "Liz, how did you do that thing with the notebooks today? I'm thinking that could come in very handy during finals."  
  
"I don't know, I just heard this voice inside of me, telling me what to do."  
  
"Was it the baby?" asked Maria.   
  
"No," she said slowly. "No, it wasn't the baby. This was, I don't know, more omnipotent or something, it was like a presence or something. I don't know what it was, but it wasn't a scary thing."  
  
"We have to leave again," said Maria, suddenly. "Max, Liz, Michael, get out of here, now!"  
  
Michael started to argue, but Liz silenced him with a quelling look. Max held out his hand to Liz, and the two followed by Michael, made their way across the park. As they walked towards the street, Isabelle's cell phone began to ring. She answered it and after a few minutes, hung up.  
  
"Kyle, that was your dad. He and Tess got back early, she's out looking for us right now. She told him she wanted to hang out with us." She turned to Maria. "I think you got your power Maria. Apparently, your our Tess early detection system."


	35. Chapter Thirty Five Ouch! Did Something...

to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Thirty-Five Ouch, Did Something Bite Me?  
  
"Uh, hello?" said Maria. "If Tess the evil hell bitch is approaching, why is Ava just sitting here? No offense, Ava?"  
  
"None taken," said Ava with a grin. "Watch this." She touched her hand to her hair, lengthening it considerably. At the same time, she changed the color to a dark auburn color. With the clothes she was wearing, she was completely unrecognizable.  
  
"That is so cool," said Maria, wistfully. "Why can't I have a power like that?"  
  
"I shudder to think of the damage you could do with a power like that," said Alex. "Imagine what you would change if you could do that."  
  
"What! What kind of damage. What are you talking about?" said Maria, her voice ripe with indignation.  
  
"I have two words for you Deluca. Aqua Bra!"  
  
"Oh, yeah, that," said Maria. "Never mind.  
  
"Much as I'd love to hear the whole story behind the Aqua Bra," said Ava. "We need to focus here. Alex, the ball's in your court. Make her think I'm not here.  
  
"Poof, you're not here?" said Alex, weakly.  
  
"Who's not here?" asked Tess, walking up behind them. "Who are you," she added rudely, looking at Ava. "And where is Max?"  
  
Alex closed his eyes and concentrated, focusing on blocking Ava from Tess's mind.  
  
"What did you say, Tess?" asked Isabelle.  
  
"I said, who's not here, and where is Max. God, what are you people, deaf or something?"  
  
"Uh, Max isn't here," said Maria.  
  
"Well, I can see that," snapped Tess. "What I want to know is where he is."  
  
"Sorry, we don't know," said Isabelle. "Alex and I bumped into Kyle and Maria downtown, and we decided to grab some food and have a picnic."  
  
"Well, that was fast," said Tess, snidely.  
  
"What was fast, Tess?" asked Kyle.  
  
"You and Hurricane Deluca hooking up. Glad to see you aren't pining away for Michael. Not that it matters to me. I've got Max, and that's the way it should be. He belongs with me, not with that insignificant little bitch Liz Parker. OUCH! Did something bite me?" she asked, as the angry red imprint of a hand appeared on her face.  
  
"Must have been a mosquito or something," said Maria. "You'd better go put something on that before it starts to swell."  
  
"Yeah, it looks like it's getting bigger already," said Isabelle.   
  
"Swell?" said Tess, putting a hand to her face. "I'd better go. If you see Max, tell him I'm looking for him." She turned and walked towards the entrance of the park.  
  
"Yeah, maybe he can heal that bug bite for you!" Kyle called to her departing figure. "Ava, I love you," he said. "That was perfect!"  
  
"Alex, you did it!" cried Isabelle, throwing her arms around him. "You were fantastic!"  
  
"I was fantastic, wasn't I?" said Alex. "Or was I?" he asked, turning to Ava. "You didn't help, did you?"  
  
"I didn't do anything," said Ava, except for slap the bitch. Man, she is nasty. She's even nastier than Lonnie, and that's sayin a lot!"  
  
"It's proof positive that my mother's message was true," said Isabelle.  
  
"What message?" asked Ava.  
  
"Damn, we forgot to tell you," said Isabelle. "Okay, the short version is this. When the made us on Antar, they made two sets, one to send to Earth, and one to keep as spare I guess. Enemies of the royal family managed to tamper with the second set. They then took the two sets were mixed together, and the scientists on Antar were unable to tell which set was which. So, they sent both sets to Earth instead of keeping one on Antar. I think it's safe to assume that you were supposed to be with Max, Michael and myself, and Tess was supposed to be with those freaks you lived with.  
  
"So like I was supposed to live the whole cornball Mayberry experience? Go figure. Can you see me, growin up in a place like this?"  
  
"Yeah, actually, I can," said Kyle, covering her hand with his. "You are a sweet and wonderful person, Ava. All that other stuff, the attitude, the tattoo's, that was just because of the way you lived. The person you are inside is nothing like Rath and Lonnie, and probably not even Zan."  
  
"No, Zan, he wasn't like them either. I mean, he was, but he wasn't. He wasn't all cruel like they were. He didn't take any of their crap or nothin', but he was still a good person," said Ava.  
  
"Maybe they didn't tamper with his pod," said Alex. "Maybe they were afraid to mess with the King, no matter what state he was in."  
  
"Well, they weren't afraid to kill him," said Isabelle, bitterly. "They weren't afraid to kill any of us."  
  
"Maybe," said Alex. "We'll probably never know, but what we do know is that Ava was supposed to be here with you, all along, and we know that we'll be able to fool Tess. Now we just have to figure out what our next step is going to be."  
  
"Come on," said Maria, as she began to pack up the remnants of their picnic. "We're supposed to meet at my house tonight. Let's get over there and tell Max, Michael and Liz what happened."  
  
"Let's stop and get some food before we head to your house, Maria. I'm starving," said Alex.  
  
"You're starving," said Maria. "How can you possibly be starving? You ate just about everything we brought."  
  
"This mind warping is hard work," said Alex. "How does everybody feel about Thai food?"  
  
"Fine, whatever," said Kyle. "Why don't you go pick it up, and meet us back at Maria's. I want to swing by the station and clue my Dad in on what just happened.  
  
Kyle, Isabelle and Maria got into Kyle's Mustang and drove over to the Sheriff's department, while Alex and Ava drove over to the new Thai place to get take out. After their order was ready, Alex walked out to the car with the food, while Ava ran back inside to get extra hot mustard. When she left the restaurant, she saw Alex standing outside his car, talking with Tess. She walked slowly out of the restaurant, and came around so that she was standing behind Tess.   
  
"I want you to tell them you are going to Sweden on an exchange program," Tess said to Alex. "And then I want you to start working on that stupid book. I have to know what it says. What are you going to need to break the code?"  
  
"Probably a very powerful computer," said Alex. "More powerful than I have here at home."  
  
"Where can we find one of those?" asked Tess.  
  
"Las Cruses," said Alex. "At the university."  
  
"Fine," said Tess. "As soon as I get you the book, that's where I want you to go. They'll be expecting you. I'll take care of everything. Do you understand, Alex?"  
  
"Of course, Tess," said Alex.  
  
"And don't tell anybody we've talked," said Tess. She spun around on her heal, and walked towards her Geo Tracker. Ava ducked behind another car and waited until Tess drove away.  
  
"Are you alright?" she asked Alex, as soon as Tess's car was out of sight.  
  
"Yeah," said Alex. "But I guess I'm going to Las Cruses, at least in Tess's mind.


	36. Chapter ThirtySix It's A Twin Thing

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Thirty-Six It's a Twin Thing  
  
"She did what?" shouted Max. "You did what?" he added turning to Ava. "How could you do something like that? You put everyone in jeopardy with that little stunt. You can't go off half cocked like that!"  
  
"I had a plan," said Ava, weakly.  
  
"No, Ava, a plan is something that is well thought out, and takes everything into consideration. What you did was react."  
  
"She saw and opportunity, and she took it," said Michael. "What's wrong with that?"  
  
"Alex did a great job and totally warped Tess, and if he hadn't, I would have done it," Ava added.  
  
"That's not the point," said Max, banging his hand on the table for emphasis. "You just went off on your own, with no consideration to how it would effect anybody else. Just like when Michael kidnapped Maria and stole her car."  
  
"I didn't kidnap Maria," Michael said, defensively. "She just wouldn't get out of the car."  
  
"Um, guys," said Kyle.  
  
"Besides, we learned a lot on that road trip," continued Michael, as if Kyle hadn't spoken. "Think about everything we found out."  
  
"That's not the point, Michael," said Max. "I'm just saying the both of you tend to go off, without any planning. We can't do that."  
  
"Hello?" said Kyle, waving his hand at Max and Michael. "Is anybody listening to me?"  
  
"It's easy to see that you two are related," Max continued, ignoring Kyle. "You both go off half cocked without a thought to the consequences."  
  
"For Christ's sake, Max. Will you quit coming down so hard on the two of us. You're sitting here whining about something that happened last year, and totally coming unglued because Ava got Alex to use his powers successfully. From where I'm sitting, you're the one who's out of control here," said Michael.  
  
"They're not just brother and sister!" Kyle yelled, stepping in between Max and Michael. "They're TWINS!"  
  
"Kyle, do you mind, I'm trying to make a ……they're what?" asked Max.  
  
"Finally," said Kyle, sitting back down. "I thought I was going to have to stand on my head and dance naked to get your attention. I said that Ava and Michael are twins. It's right here, in the new and improved addition of the book that we're supposed to be committing to memory. Apparently, I'm the only one who is doing that,' Kyle added.  
  
"What!" said Michael, excitedly. "Show me where it says that." Kyle handed him a copy of the translated book with the passage highlighted, and Michael grabbed it and read it eagerly. He read silently for several minutes. When he finished, he looked up, and his face radiated a joy that none of the others had ever seen before.  
  
"Maria, can you believe it?" he asked excitedly. "Not only do I have a sister, I have a twin. This is more than I ever expected!" He hugged Marian and then jumped up and hugged Ava as well. "Can you believe it?" he said. "We're twins!"  
  
"Yeah, and it looks like they both got the stupid plan gene," said Maria softly, her face marred by a frown. She stood up and grabbed some empty glasses and walked out to the kitchen. Liz watched her leave and stood and slipped out behind her.  
  
"Maria, what's wrong?" she asked her friend. "You looked so upset in there."  
"Upset, me, upset? What's to be upset about," Maria said, her voice slightly hysterical. "Michael has the family he always wanted. Who could ask for anything better than that?"  
  
"Why are you so upset about that, Maria?" Liz asked. She moved closer to her friend and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Do you think that now that he has a sister, Michael isn't going to need you any more?"  
  
"No," said Maria, wiping a tear from her cheek. "We've known Ava is his sister for a while now, it's not that."  
  
"Then what is it, Maria? Tell me, don't keep it bottled up inside. Oh, wait," said Liz, as she began to realize what Maria was feeling. "It's not the fact that she's his sister, it's that they're twins. That's it, isn't it?"  
  
Maria didn't say anything; she just sniffed and pulled away from Liz. She crossed the kitchen and began to fill the empty glasses with tonic. When the glasses were full, she reached up into the cabinet and grabbed a bag of chips. She transferred all the glasses to a tray, and reached to pick it up.  
  
"Maria, stop this," said Liz. "I can't believe you are acting like this! The only thing Michael has ever wanted was a family, and now you're trying to take his away from him. Well guess what, it isn't going to work. It's not just Ava you know; it's all of us. We're all his family. Or are you so blind, and so selfish that you can't see it?"  
  
"Selfish?" said Maria, her voice low and angry. "I'm selfish. That's a good one. I got dragged, kicking and screaming into this whole alien mess, and here you are, telling me that I'm selfish."   
  
"Dragged?" asked Liz, incredulously. "Maria, you wouldn't stop hounding me until I had told you what happened that day in the CrashDown. I did my best to keep you out of this whole thing, remember?"  
  
"You bitch!" cried Maria. She turned around, and through her hands up in the air. A bolt of energy shot out of it straight towards Liz. "Liz!" Maria screamed as Liz fell to the floor. "Oh my God, Liz. What did I do to you? Max! Oh, God, Max, come here!"  
  
Max rushed out of Maria's bedroom, and into the kitchen. He saw Liz on the ground, and his face paled.   
  
"What happened? Who did this? Was it Tess?" he said as he knelt on the floor next to Liz.  
  
"Maria, baby, what happened, are you alright?" asked Michael as he entered the room, with the others on his heels.   
  
"It's not me, its Liz," Maria cried. "We had an argument, and I turned around to yell at her some more, but I, well, I blasted her."  
  
"What do you mean, you blasted her?" asked Alex.  
  
"Just that. A bolt of energy flew out of my hand, right at her. I did this to her," cried Maria. "I bitched and whined and complained about not having any powers, and then I killed my best friend."  
  
"No you didn't," said Kyle. "You missed, but I think your mother is going to be pretty pissed about the giant hole in her china cabinet."  
  
"I think she banged her head when she fell," said Max, touching Liz's head gingerly. "Yeah, right here, I can feel a bump."  
  
"Can you heal it, Max" asked Isabelle.  
  
"I don't think I'm going to have to," said Max. Everyone turned to look at him, and they saw a small glowing handprint appear on Liz's head. "I think the baby is taking care of it for me."  
  
Liz's eyelids began to flutter, and then opened completely and she groaned.   
  
"What happened?" she asked. "I feel like a tank ran over me. The baby," she added clutching her stomach. "Is he alright?"  
  
"Yeah, the baby's fine, and we just got proof positive that he's Max's kid all right," said Alex. "N-not that there was any doubt," he added when he saw seven pairs of eyes glaring at him.  
  
"Hey, look at this," said Kyle proudly. Everyone turned to look at him and watched as he repaired the scorched hole in the china cabinet. "I fixed it!"  
  
"Great, thanks, now could all of you leave Liz and I alone for a minute," said Maria.  
  
"Maybe I should just take Liz home," said Max.  
  
"No, Max. It's okay. Maria and I have a few things to clear up," Liz said softly. She waited until the others left the room, Max at the end, watching her with worried eyes. "Maria, what happened?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, God, Liz. I was so angry with you," Maria began. "Because you were right. I was resentful of a bond that may or may not exist between Michael and Ava. I was so angry that I wanted to slap you, but when I turned around, I, Liz, I almost blew you up. I wasn't trying to do that. I was just so scared, and so angry," Maria paused.  
  
"That you just reacted," finished Liz. "Hmmm, seems like Michael and Ava weren't the only ones to get the stupid gene," she joked.  
  
"You heard that, huh?" asked Maria.  
  
"Yeah, I did. I'm going to tell you something, Maria. Michael loves you. He's not the best at showing it, but he does love you. You need to talk to him about what you're feeling. He needs to know that you're afraid. Maria, are you listening to me?" She looked over at Maria, who was touching each of her fingernails one by one.  
  
"Cool!" said Maria. "Look what I can do." She held up her left hand and displayed her fingernails, which were now painted in a variety of colors. "Oh, I'm sorry, were you saying something?"  
  
Liz just rolled her eyes and stood up. "Maria, talk to Michael," she said as she began to walk out of the room.  
  
"Liz, wait," said Maria, jumping up off the floor. She reached out and hugged Liz. "I'm sorry. Sorry for not listening to you to begin with, and sorry for almost blowing you up."  
  
"Well, I can't say that the thought of you with that ability doesn't scare the hell out of me," said Liz. "If you almost blew me, your best friend up, what are you going to do the next time Pam Troy pisses you off?"  
  
  



	37. Chapter Thirty Seven Bridging the Gap

Sorry for the delay - rls you know  
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Thirty-Seven Bridging the Gap  
  
Michael parked the motorcycle and killed the engine. Maria removed her helmet and climbed off, followed by Michael.  
  
"Do you think this is going to work?" she asked as they walked up the sandy incline.  
  
"I don't know," replied Michael. "It helped Alex, so I figured you might as well try it before you really do blow somebody up." They quickly ascended the small slope and stood outside the door to the hidden pod chamber. Michael hung back and gestured to Maria. She stepped forward and used her newly acquired powers and activated the door.  
  
"Did you see that?" Maria asked. "I did it!"  
  
"You sure did," said Michael, stepping into the chamber. Maria quickly followed him, and the door closed behind her, effectively insulating them from the burning heat of the desert. Maria moved across the chamber and began to examine the incubation pods that were housed there.  
  
"Which one was yours?" she asked. Michael pointed to a chamber, and she moved closer, her hands moving to feel the insides of it.  
  
"There's nothing there, Maria," he said. "I've checked it a million times already."  
  
"I wasn't really looking for anything," said Maria. "I was just, well, marveling at it."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because it's what brought you to me," she answered. "If these things hadn't done their job, you and I wouldn't be standing here right now.  
  
Michael stepped closer to Mariah and slipped an arm around her shoulder.  
  
"I never really thought about it like that before," he said. "Then I guess I'm thankful right along with you, because there isn't any place I'd rather be, or any person I'd rather be with."  
  
"What about Ava?"  
  
"What about her?" Michael asked, his expression showing his confusion.  
  
"Isn't she what you always wanted? A family. And not just any family, but a twin! How perfect for you," said Maria, her voice filled with venom.   
  
"Maria, what are you talking about?" said an already perplexed Michael. "Wait a second, is this what you were upset about last night? Maria, come on. You already knew that Ava was my sister. So we're twins, so what? What difference does that make? We were in our mother's uterus at the same time. What, did you think we bonded in there or something? Maria, will you get real, that was another life. It was another solar system! Yes, Ava is important to me, I won't deny that. But, Maria, I wouldn't even know what a family was if it wasn't for you! You, Maria, you're my family. Max, Isabelle and I gravitated to each other because we were so different. That's what brought us together. Hell, we didn't even like each other much to begin with, we just knew we needed to stick together." Michael paused for a moment to gather his thoughts.  
  
"You were different, Maria," he said in a softer voice. "You were the first person to ever love me just for me. You're the one who taught me how to love, what it feels like to be loved! Ava is my sister, that's great, but let's face it Maria, you're my everything!"  
  
Maria stood silently with her back to Michael during his impassioned speech. When he finished speaking, she turned around to face Michael, her face streaked with tears.  
  
"I thought that now that you had her, you wouldn't need me any longer," she sniffed.  
  
"Maria, that's crazy. I need you now, more than ever. When everything around us totally goes crazy, I can always count on you,"  
  
"To totally freak out," finished Maria.  
  
"Well, yeah," Michael said, with a small smile. He gathered her into his arms and kissed her. Gently at first, then with increasing passion. He swept her into his arms and carried her across the chamber to where his old sleeping bag lay on the floor. He knelt carefully next to the sleeping bag, and gently laid Maria down. He lay down beside her and the two began to kiss passionately. After several minutes, Michael groaned, the sound came from deep in his throat, and he started to pull away from Maria.  
  
"No," whispered Maria. "I don't want to stop."  
  
"Are you sure?" Michael questioned softly.  
  
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life," she said, pulling his head down to hers. She kissed him deeply, and moaned with pleasure as Michael's tongue found it's way into her waiting mouth. Their tongues twirled around each other, sending shivers of delight down their spines.  
  
"Are you sure?" Michael asked again.  
  
"Very, very sure," said Maria.   
  
  
Michael arranged the sleeping back to cover Maria more completely. She lay in his arms; her head nestled on his chest, a look of contentment on her face.  
  
"I love you," he whispered, his fingers trailing through her hair.  
  
"Michael?" she said, her voice drowsy. "Did I fall asleep?"  
  
"You sure did," he said kissing her cheek. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Alright, I'm more than alright," said Maria. "That was so totally incredible. It was like everything I've ever imagined, and a million times more than that."  
  
"You imagined it?" said Michael, a look of interest on his face.  
  
"Well yeah," said Maria, in her no duh voice. "Don't try and tell me you haven't."  
  
We're not talking about me," said Michael. "We're talking about you. What did you imagine? Come on, spill it."  
  
"I imagined," said Maria. "That we have to find a way out of here, and fast," Tess is on her way."  
  
"How much time do we have?" asked Michael as the two scrambled to get dressed.  
  
"Not much," said Maria. "I think she's already here."  
  
Michael grabbed her hand and pulled her into the chamber that contained the granolith. They looked around, but couldn't find any place to hide.  
  
"Oh God, Michael, what are we going to do?" whispered Maria. She watched as Michael knelt down at the base of the granolith and began to push at the panels. One slid open revealing a small crawl space. He grabbed Maria and pushed her inside.  
  
"We're going to hide," he said as he crawled in beside her. He quickly set the panel back into position just as Tess entered the Granolith chamber, followed by Rath and Lonnie.


	38. Chapter Thirty Eight The Wrath of Rath

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Thirty-Eight The Wrath of Rath  
  
"So, this is where you hatched from?" said Rath. "Cool. What's that over there?" he asked, pointing to the sleeping bag.  
  
"Oh, it's nothing," said Tess. "Michael used to sleep in here sometimes when his foster father was drunk and beat on him. He said he felt safe here."  
  
"Aw, now ain't that just a special kinda stupid," said Lonnie. "Why the hell didn't he just blast the shit outta the dude and split?"  
  
"I don't know," said Tess. "He probably stuck around out of some misguided sense of loyalty or something. Nobody ever claimed he was the brightest star in the galaxy."  
  
"For sure he ain't like my man Rath here," said Lonnie  
  
"Co 'mere baby," said Rath. He pulled Lonnie to him and began to kiss her, his tongue thrusting violently into he mouth. He reached down and pulled at her let. Lonnie raised her leg, and wrapped it around him.  
  
"Will you to cut it out," said Tess. "We don't have time for this."  
  
"Jealous," said Rath, coming up for air. "You could always join us."  
  
"Oh, please," sneered Tess. "Jealous of you two. I don't think so."  
  
"Yeah, that's it," said Lonnie. "You're pissed because me and Rath are together, and you can't be with Zan, cause we iced him."  
  
"I belong with Max," said Tess, defensively.  
  
Yeah, you wish," snorted Rath. "You know as well as we do that Nasado managed to switch all the pods back to where they belonged, except for yours and Ava's. The only reason he didn't destroy the other royals was cause he didn't get you out in time."  
  
"Don't remind me," snapped Tess. "He reminded me of that fact almost every day. The only break I ever got was when he was with you, or out searching for the surviving protectors."  
  
"Searching my ass," said Rath. "He wasn't searching for them, he was hunting them down to kill them."  
  
"And he succeeded too, didn't he," said Tess, her voice tinged with pride. "He got all of them except for the one in California. He said he had taken on the role of a movie producer or something and was too high profile to kill."  
  
"This is getting to be a friggen bore," said Lonnie. "Why are we here anyhow?"  
  
"I told ya babe, I think that stupid Zan wanna be stole our book. We need to find it. That's our ticket home baby!"  
  
"Why don't we just make him tell us where it is? If he ends up dead, who cares?"  
  
"Can't do it babe," said Rath. "Much as I'd like to blast that stupid Opie grin off of his face, we can't. We need to have a four square to get back home. Four square, just like that," he said, pointing to the tattoo on her arm.  
  
"Why don't I just try mind warping him into telling me," said Tess, nervously. "Rath is right, we can't kill him. We need him."  
  
"Yeah, right, you need him," said Lonnie. "Try thinking with your brain instead of with your."   
  
"Shut up you stupid bitch," yelled Tess. "You have no right to tell me what to do. When we go back. I'm going to be queen, not you!" She reached out and slapped the taller girl across the face.  
  
"Son of a bitch," said Lonnie. She raised her arm to blast Tess.  
  
"Stop it, the two of you!" roared Rath. "I don't have time to put up with the two of you fighting. Lonnie, chill out, and you," he said turning to Tess. "If you ever touch my woman again, I'll kill you myself."  
  
"No you won't," said Tess. "Just like you won't do anything to Max either. You need us, remember that. But we don't need you. We still have Michael and Isabelle here. You're the ones who are expendable, not Max and I. Now can we stop this stupid fighting and figure out what Max did with the book?"  
  
"Yeah, fine, whatever," snapped Rath. "You go looking for you're little Maxie boy. Me and Lonnie are gonna split for a while, get the lay of the land and all that. We'll meet up with you later tonight, at the motel outside of town."  
  
"Who died and made you king, Rath? You don't give me orders. Remember, you're just the second in command,' said Tess. "I'll meet you tonight, but only if I have news. I'm not going to spend any more time with the two of you than I have to." Tess turned and activated the door and stepped out into the hot desert air.  
  
"She's really getting on my nerves. We may have to kill her," Rath whispered to Lonnie as they followed Tess outside.  
  
  
The panel under the granolith slid back and Michael crawled out, followed by Maria. He stood up and reached down to help Maria to her feet.  
  
"Did you hear that?" he asked. "We have to find Max, and warn him." He grabbed Maria by the hand and led her back out into the pod chamber. Michael opened the door to the outside and looked around to make sure it was safe before signaling to Maria to come outside. They walked around the back of the sandstone outcropping to where Michael had hidden his motorcycle. Michael stopped and kissed Maria passionately.  
  
"Whatever happens," he said. "Remember that, and remember that I love you with all my heart."  
  
"And I love you Space Boy," said Maria.  
  
The two climbed on, and the motorcycle roared to life. Michael and Maria headed back into town to warn their friends


	39. Chapter Thirty Nine Who are You?

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Thirty-Nine Who are You?  
  
"Do you have to do this, Alex?" Isabelle asked as she helped him pack his bag.  
  
"You know I do," Alex replied, shoving some extra socks into his duffle bag. "Tess has it all worked out, or she thinks she does. She's sending me off to Las Cruses, to use their super computer to decode the book, and I'm supposed to tell everyone on an exchange trip to Sweden."  
  
"Why Sweden? It's not like you've ever studied Swedish. They don't even offer it at West Roswell High."  
  
"I don't know," said Alex, rubbing his head. "I guess she didn't really plan that far ahead, and when push came to shove, Sweden was the only place she could think of. Do you have any aspirin, Isabelle? My head is killing me."  
  
"You've had an awful lot of headaches lately, Alex," said Isabelle. "I'm starting to worry about you. Maybe you should go to the doctor."  
  
"Oh, right Isabelle. And tell him what? Doctor, I've noticed an increase in headaches ever since I developed the power to warp people's minds? Sorry Isabelle, I don't see that happening."  
  
"No, I guess you're right, but we should do something. Maybe Max could heal you."  
  
"No dice, he tried already," said Alex, shoving a razor into his bag.  
  
"Well, maybe we should go back to the granolith again, all of us, together. Maybe that will help."  
  
"Okay," said Alex. "I've been kind of worried about it myself. Maybe being there will give Max a power boost or something."  
  
"Alex," called Mrs. Whitman, knocking on his bedroom door. "You have more company.  
  
"Who is it, Ma?" asked Alex.  
  
"It's Maria, and Michael. They came to say goodbye to you."  
  
"Send 'em in please," said Alex.  
  
Michael and Maria walked into Alex's room. On the surface, they did their best to appear calm, but both Alex and Isabelle were able to see past the façade.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked Isabelle, as soon as the door was shut.  
"It's Tess," said Maria. "She brought Rath and Lonnie to the pod chamber. We just barely managed to hide under the granolith before they came in."  
  
"Under the granolith?" asked Isabelle.  
  
"Not important," said Michael. "We'll show you later. Anyhow, we need to find Maxwell. They're pretty sure he stole their book, and they want it back, and their not opposed to killing me and Isabelle to get it."  
  
"What?" shouted Alex. "That does it, I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here with you, Isabelle. There is no way I'm going to leave you alone while those psychos are in town."  
  
"Alex, that's sweet, but you can't. We have to stick with the plan. You have to and pretend to decode our copy of the book. I'll be alright, we all will."  
  
"I don't like it," said Alex.  
  
"Don't like what?" asked Kyle, sticking his head in Alex's window.  
  
"We have company," answered Michael. "In the form of Rath and Lonnie."  
  
"Damn," said Kyle, climbing in the window. He reached back and held out his hand and helped Ava into the room. "What do they want?"  
  
"The book," said Ava, sitting down on the bed. "What else could they possibly want?"  
  
"Well, Max for one," said Maria. "They need him to make up their four square."  
  
"We've got to find him right away," said Michael. "Does anybody have any idea of where he is?"  
  
"Yeah, Ava and I passed him on our way over here. He and Liz were heading out to the quarry. I think they were looking for a little alone time."  
  
"Yeah, well, it's going to have to wait," said Michael. "We need to warn them, and it has to be now."  
  
"I'll go," said Kyle, moving towards the window. "Ava, you better stay here. If Rath and Lonnie are around, you'd better lay low. Michael, watch out for her?"  
  
"With my life, man," said Michael.  
  
"Wait!" cried Isabelle. "Bring them to the granolith."  
  
"Why?" asked Kyle, one leg over the windowsill.  
  
"We don't have time for explanations now," said Isabelle. "Just do it. We'll meet you there in an hour."  
  
  
Kyle parked his car and climbed out and began to make his way down the rock-strewn path that led into the quarry. He slipped on some loose rocks and skidded part way down the slope.  
  
"Damn," he said as he tried to stop his fall. He skidded for several more feet before stopping at the bottom of the path. He groaned and tried to get up on, but collapsed, a small trickle of blood dripping down his face.  
  
  
"Max, I know I heard something," said Liz. "We should probably get out of here."  
  
"Relax, Liz. It was probably just an animal or something," said Max. "We never get a chance to be alone anymore, and I don't want to leave any sooner than we have to."  
  
"Humor me Max," said Liz. "Please. I'm sure I heard something."  
  
"Alright," said Max. He stood up and reached down to help Liz up, grabbing the blanket that they sat on as well. "Come on, let's go play Nancy Drew and Frank Hardy and see what made the noise."  
  
"Thanks for understanding, Max," said Liz. "I know it's stupid, but I just think we should check it out."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Liz," said Max. The two began to walk across the quarry toward the path that would take them to Max's jeep. Liz stopped and looked around, staring into the darkness."  
  
"Did you hear that?" she asked Max. "It sounded like somebody was groaning. It came from over there." She pulled Max by the arm towards the base of the path. As they drew closer, both of them were able to make out a form lying on the ground.  
  
"Wait here," said Max, as he rushed forward. He knelt down beside the body and rolled it over. "Liz, it's Kyle, and he's hurt!"  
  
"Oh, God!" cried Liz, rushing over to Max's side. ""Max, what happened to him?"  
  
"I'm not sure," said Max. "I'm guessing he came out here to find us." He put his hand against Kyle's head. His hand began to glow and the wound healed. Kyle's eyes fluttered, then opened fully.  
  
"Ouch, what happened?" he said. "Liz, where are we?" he asked. He turned and looked at Max. "Who are you and what are you doing with my girlfriend?"


	40. Chapter Forty Pulling Together

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Forty Pulling Together  
  
"I'm serious Liz," said Kyle, struggling to sit up. "Why are we here, in the middle of nowhere, and in the middle of the night? Did we have an accident? Liz, are you okay?"  
  
"Kyle, if you'll just sit back for a second, we'll explain everything," said Max.  
  
"Don't tell me what to do," said Kyle. "Hey, wait a second, you're that freak, Max Evans, aren't you?" Kyle looked closely at Max. "You are, aren't you? I've seen you around school before, with that hulking freak friend of yours. And I've seen you at the CrashDown too, checking out my girl!" Kyle's voice grew louder as he became more agitated. "Is that what happened? You were trying to spy on me and Liz, and you forced us off the road? You're not going to get away with it. Do you have any idea who my father is?"  
  
"Kyle, if you'll shut up for a second, I'll explain everything to you!" Liz shouted over Kyle's voice.   
  
"Liz," whispered Max. "You can't explain the past year and a half to him and expect him to understand. It's almost as if the fall erased everything about us from his memory."  
  
Liz caught her lower lip between her teeth and chewed on it thoughtfully.  
"You're right," she said. "Let me handle it though, okay. He seems really resistant to you. Kyle," she said turning to the other boy. "It's not like that. You and I were walking down the path. We came out here to look at the stars for a science project. You slipped and fell. Max was out here working on the same project, and he heard me scream when you fell. He came over to help us."  
  
"Yeah, well, whatever, I'm fine now," said Kyle, glaring at Max.  
  
"How about if you wait and go all Rambo on me AFTER we get you to the top," said Max.  
  
"I don't need your help," said Kyle, struggling to his feet. He stumbled and started to fall back down, but Max grabbed him and held him up.  
"Okay, maybe I do need some help," Kyle admitted.  
  
"Liz, why don't you run up to my jeep and grab the flashlight that's in the back seat," said Max. "And try and get a hold of Michael and find out why Kyle was out here," he whispered as she walked past.  
  
Liz quickly scrambled up the path and reached for her cell phone. She dialed Maria's number, with trembling fingers and waited anxiously for Maria to answer.   
"Maria!" she yelled.   
  
Liz, did Kyle find you? Maria asked.  
  
"Yeah, but there's a little problem with that," answered Liz. "He fell, and bumped his head. Maria, he doesn't remember anything about Max and the others, and he thinks we're still together."  
  
Oh, we so don't need this, moaned Maria. Listen. Lonnie and Rath are back in town, and they are looking for a certain missing book. Meet us at the granolith, and I'll fill you in.  
  
"The granolith?" asked Liz. "Why?"  
  
I don't know, said Maria. Isabelle just said for us to meet her there. And Liz, be careful.  
  
"You too," said Liz, ending the call. She grabbed the flashlight out of Max's jeep and shined it down the path towards Max and Kyle. Max tightened his arm around Kyle's waist and half led, half carried him up the path. Once they reached the top, Kyle pulled away from Max, resentment filling his face.  
  
"I'm fine," he said. "I can handle it from here. Uh, where's my car?"  
Liz took the flashlight and pointed it into the darkness.  
  
"There it is," she said. "Kyle, why don't you give me the keys, and I'll drive. You probably shouldn't get behind the wheel right now."  
  
"Y-yeah," said Kyle, reaching into his pocket for the keys. "That makes sense," he said, handing them to Liz.   
  
"Max, thanks so much for all your help," said Liz. "We're going to head back now."  
  
"Do you want me to follow you, to make sure you make it okay?" asked Max, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah, that would be great," said Liz. "Kyle come on, let's get you back to the car." She slipped her arm around Kyle's waist and led him in the direction of his car. She helped him into the passenger seat and waited until he fastened his seatbelt. Once she was sure Kyle was securely buckled in, she moved around the front of the car to the drivers seat and climbed in. She took a minute to fasten her own seat belt, and then she started the car. The engine roared to life, and Liz turned on the lights and began to drive.  
  
Liz watched in the rear view mirror as Max pulled out behind her and followed her at a safe distance down the highway. Liz made small talk with Kyle as they drove down the deserted highway. In the distance, she could see headlights approaching, and she killed her high beams.   
  
The car slowed as it approached them, and Liz was able to see inside the passing vehicle. To her horror, she saw Rath and Lonnie in the car as it passed. Lonnie's eyes locked with hers, and in that second, she felt a shiver reach down into her very core. It felt like everything was moving in slow motion to Liz. She turned her gaze back to the road and stepped on the accelerator. In the rear view mirror, she could see Max's headlights, but she also saw Lonnie and Rath's car slam on its brakes and turn around. Panicked, Liz pressed even harder on the accelerator.  
  
"Liz, Jesus, slow down!" yelled Kyle. "Are you trying to get us killed?"  
  
"I know none of this means anything to you, Kyle, but I'm trying to NOT get us killed," said Liz, through gritted teeth. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel and gave the rear view mirror another check. The other vehicle pulled out and passed Max, and came up behind Kyle's mustang.  
  
"Hold on!" she cried as the car behind them hit their rear bumper. The mustang jerked against the impact, and Liz struggled to keep it on the road.   
  
"What the hell?" shouted Kyle as he was jerked forward by the impact. "Who the frig is back there, and what is their problem?"  
  
"OH, God!" shouted Liz. "Kyle, hold on!" Kyle looked past Liz to see the other car pull along beside them. He looked and looked again, shocked by what he saw.  
"Isn't that Max's sister and that freaky friend of his? What the hell are they doing to us, and when did they go punk?"  
  
"Kyle, we so don't have time for this," said Liz. "Look, it's not Michael and Isabelle, but they do look just like them, and they are trouble, big big trouble!" There was a clash of metal as Rath forced the car into Kyle's mustang. Liz struggled to keep the car on the road, but she wasn't strong enough. Rath gave one final shove, and the mustang went off the road, and down a steep embankment."  
  
"Liz!" screamed Max from the jeep as he watched the car go off the road. He pulled off the road and jumped out of the jeep and slid down the embankment.  
"Liz! Liz, are you okay?" he yelled. "Kyle? Damn it, Valenti, answer me?"  
  
"Max? Is that you?" he heard Liz's voice call faintly. "Max?"  
  
"Liz? I'm coming!" Max called as he made his way over to the overturned car. He pulled at the driver's door, but it wouldn't open. He held his hand against the lock and concentrated until he heard the lock release. He pulled the door open and found Liz, upside down, but held in place by the seatbelt. He released the safety mechanism and caught Liz in his arms and pulled her from the car.  
  
"Get Kyle," she whispered. "Please Max, get him out."  
  
Max rushed around to the other side of the car and pulled the door open. He quickly pulled Kyle out and dragged him away from the car.  
  
"Max, is he okay?" Liz asked in a tired voice.  
  
"I don't know," said Max. "Wait, be quiet, what's that?" Max stood up and began to make his way up the embankment  
  
"Maxwell? Where are you?" he heard a voice call. Max remained silent, afraid that it wasn't Michael, but Rath, trying to trick him.  
  
"Max! Are you down there?" he heard Maria call. Max smiled and continued his climb.  
  
"I'm coming," he said. "I need your help. Kyle and Liz were in an accident. They were forced off the road."  
  
Michael and Maria scrambled down the embankment, followed by Isabelle, Ava and Alex. The reached the bottom of the gully, and Maria rushed over to Liz and knelt down beside her friend.  
  
"Liz, are you alright? Who did this?"  
  
"It was Rath and Lonnie," said Liz. "They passed us on the road, and turned around and came back. They ran us off the road on purpose."  
  
"Liz!" Kyle's voice rang out into the night. "Liz, where are you?" Maria helped Liz up, and the two made there way over to Kyle.  
  
"I'm right here, Kyle," she said. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Like I was hit by a truck, but that isn't important. I came to find you and Max. We need to get to the granolith. Lonnie and Rath are in town, and it looks like they're going to cause trouble." Kyle paused and looked around at his surroundings. "Where are we, and what's everybody doing here? I thought we were going to meet at the granolith?"  
  
"Kyle, do you remember anything about the last hour?" asked Ava, kneeling down beside him.  
  
"No, the last thing I remember was being at Alex's house. Why? What happened?"  
  
"I'm going to try something, if it's okay with you," said Ava. Kyle nodded, and Ava closed her eyes and concentrated on Kyle. She focused on his mind, until she found the area that was blocking his memory, and gave it a small nudge. She opened her eyes and smiled.   
"Try and remember," she said.  
  
"I left Alex's house, and went to the quarry. I slipped on some loose stones and slid down the path. When I came to, Liz was kneeling beside me, and I, I thought she was my girlfriend. Wow, it was like I totally blocked the past year out of my mind or something. Man, I was a total jackass."  
  
"Don't' worry about it, Kyle," said Liz. "The important thing is that you're alright."  
  
"Forget about me," said Kyle. "What about you, and the baby? Are you two alright?"  
  
"I seem to be okay," said Liz. "And as far as the baby. Well, he still seems to be there hanging on," said Liz. "At least he hasn't sent out any danger signals."  
  
"We need to get out of here," said Max. "They may come back and check out their work. Michael, can you and Alex help Kyle get up the embankment? I'll take Liz. Once we get up to the top, we'll head straight to the granolith."  
  
The group made their way to the top of the embankment as quick as possible. Max strapped Liz into the front seat of his jeep, and Kyle and Ava climbed in the back. Michael and Maria climbed into Alex's car along with Alex and Isabelle, and the two groups sped off into the night toward the granolith.


	41. Chapter FortyOne Dissention in the Rank...

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Forty-One ~ Dissention in the Ranks  
  
"So then I jerked the wheel and hit them, and they went right down over the embankment," Rath said.  
  
"What!" shouted Tess. "Why did you do that? Do you realize that your stupid stunt could bring Max and Liz together again?"  
  
"What I think, Your Majesty," Rath said in a sarcastic tone. "Is that my little stunt may have gotten rid of your little problem completely. Now what I think you should do is sit down, shut the hell up, and let me run the show."  
  
"Yeah, you ain't gettin' nothin done, bitch," said Lonnie. "From now on, we's runnin the show."  
  
"I don't think so," said Tess, her voice filled with steel. "I'm in charge, I make the decisions. Is that clear?"  
  
"Whoa! Chill babe, you're in charge, we get it," said Rath. "Don't need to get all nasty."  
  
"Nasty. Nasty!" shrieked Tess. "You haven't begun to see nasty you stupid freak! You pull another stunt like that, and I'll take you out myself! Do – I— Make — Myself – Clear?"   
  
"Wait a second," said Lonnie. She turned to Tess and shoved her against the motel room wall. "Who the frig decided you get to run the damn show? I'm sick of mouth, I'm sick of your attitude, and I'm sick of this whole friggen place. We don't need you, you stupid bitch. All's we need is Zan, and we're outta here," said Lonnie, snapping her fingers. "Do you really think anybody's gonna care if we leave you're sorry carcass rottin in the desert?"  
  
Tess slapped Lonnie and shoved the taller girl away from her.  
"You have it all wrong, Lonnie. You need me, not the other way around. I have someone set up to decode the book, I have Max wrapped around my little finger, and I have Isabelle and Michael. Both of them do whatever Max says, and Max does whatever I say. And right now, I'm saying that the two of you need to shut the hell up and stay out of sight!" Tess pushed past Lonnie and walked out the door, slamming it behind her.  
  
"Rath, no!" shouted Lonnie. She grabbed his arm and pushed it back down. "You can't kill her. Not now anyhow. She's right about one thing. She's holdin all the cards right now. But once she gets that stupid book figured out, then you can kill her all you want."  
  
"That's my smart baby," said Rath with an evil smile. He gave Lonnie a shove and she landed on the bed. He leered at her and jumped on the bed next to her. "I think I can figure out a way to entertain myself while we wait."  
  
  
  
"This is getting ridiculous," said Maria. "Not only do we have to deal with that psycho bitch Tess, but now we have Lonnie an Rath playing demolition derby." She waved her hand, activating the door to the pod chamber. "That is so cool," she said with a grin. "I just don't see why we don't go on the offensive and take care of them," she said, resuming her previous diatribe.  
  
"Maria, you know Max isn't the crush kill destroy type," said Michael. "There is no way he'd go for anything like that."  
  
"Well, maybe this time he's wrong," said Maria. "Maybe this time you,"  
  
"Don't, Maria!" Michael said sharply. "Just don't. This isn't the time, or the place. I hear what you're saying, and I'm only going to say this once. Don't say it to anybody else. Not now, not ever. I may not be the smartest one of us, but I do know that we have to be united in this, or it's all going to fall apart."  
  
"Did anyone ever tell you how cute you are when you're noble, not to mention right," said Maria. "Now let's get in there, the others are waiting for us.  
  
Michael and Maria walked though the pod chamber, and into the hidden chamber concealing the granolith. Liz, Alex and Kyle sat on the floor, while Max, Isabelle and Ava hovered nervously over them.  
  
"What's the matter?" asked Michael.  
  
"Alex passed out on the way over her," said Isabelle. And then his nose started bleeding, and wouldn't stop. Max was finally able to get it to stop, but I'm worried."  
  
"I'm fine, Isabelle. Now stop freaking. We're here to do something, so lets do it," said Alex, standing up.  
  
"Alex, I really think that,"  
  
"Enough, Isabelle. You're not my mother, damn it, you're supposed to be my girlfriend!" Alex said, angrily. As he yelled, his nose began to bleed again. Max moved forward to try and stop the bleeding but Alex shoved him away.  
"Just leave it," he muttered. "Let's get this over with. I just want to go home, I have a headache."  
  
The group took their original positions in the pod chamber. Max slipped the two destiny books on the console and went to stand across from Liz. As soon as he was in position, the granolith activated, and all of them were doused in a blue beam of light. Suddenly, the light turned a violent white, temporarily blinding all of them. As quickly as it happened, the light subsided and the granolith shut down. Slowly, their eyes adjusted to the light. Standing in the center of their square was a man, dressed in gray, tight fitting clothing, with a short green cape.  
  
"Greetings," he said. "I am Che'koth, royal emissary from Antar."


	42. Chapter Forty Two Who is that Masked Ma...

Disclaimer: You know the drill.the characters aren't mine Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 - possibly to R  
  
Chapter Forty-Two - Who is that Masked Man?  
  
"What?" said Max, pushing Liz behind him. "You're who?"  
  
"I am Che'koth, and I am the royal emissary from Antar. Greetings Your Majesty," said Che'koth, kneeling down before Max. "We have been monitoring the granolith activity all this time. We had just about given up hope that you and the others would find your mates and activate the granolith."  
  
"The hell you say!" shouted Michael. "I don't know what kind of freak trick Tess is playing, but it ends here!" Michael raised his hand and shot an energy blast at Che'koth, but instead of hitting him, the bolt passed right through him, and ricocheted off the walls of the chamber.  
  
"Lord Rath," said Che'koth, bowing down before Michael. "It is good to know that some things don't change. You always were quick to protect King Zan. But you cannot protect him from me, nor do you need to, for I am not really here. I am what you would call a holographic image."  
  
"A what?" asked Kyle."  
  
"A holographic image. I am on Antar, in a chamber similar to this, and my image is projected down here to you."  
  
"So it's kind of like video conferencing," said Liz, stepping out from behind Max.  
  
"My Lady," said Che'koth, falling to one knee and bowing his head. "We on Antar feared that this day would never come. You carry the royal heir."  
  
"H-how do you know that?" Liz asked.  
  
"When activated, the granolith scanned your bodies and sent readings back to Antar," answered Che'koth. "We've tracked your physical development with that scan, and used the granolith to repair any damage or anomalies that were found."  
  
"What do you mean, anomalies?" asked Isabelle, stepping forward. "Is there something wrong with us?"  
  
"Princess Vilondra," said Che'koth, bowing once more. "Do not fear, no anomalies were found in the royal four. It was merely a precaution. We were not sure if the embryos we sent to Earth would develop normally. The scan was much like the physicals that Earth children are given."  
  
"You said we were fine," said Max. "But what about the others? Maria, Alex, Liz and Kyle? Are they alright too?"  
  
"Our scan did show some abnormalities," admitted Che'koth. Especially in the two young men." At his pronouncement, Isabelle moved closer to Alex, as if her presence could somehow protect him, and Ava slipped her hand into Kyle's and squeezed it gently.  
  
"What kind of abnormalities?" she asked, her face filled with concern as she looked at Kyle.  
  
"Lady Ava," said Che'koth, bowing yet again. "It isn't anything to concern yourself over."  
  
"Wrong answer, asshole," said Ava. "I think it is something to concern myself over. I don't know what the status of woman was on Antar, but here on Earth, we're equal. I care about Kyle, and I'll damn well be concerned about him if I want to!"  
  
"No, no My Lady," said Che'koth. "You misunderstand me. I only meant that the abnormalities were not severe, and have already been repaired by the granolith scan. Humans do not use as much of their brain as we Antarians do, and both these fine men have been subjected to many exposures of the nashra - pindo."  
  
"Nashra - pindo?" said Kyle. "What's that?"  
  
"Mind warping," said Alex, his voice flat. "It's what Tess is doing to us. Me because she wants me to decode the book, and you, just because she lives with you. She's probably probing your mind whenever she can."  
  
"Princess Vilondra's mate is correct," said Che'koth. "But it isn't anything we can't deal with. You shouldn't suffer any other side effects."  
  
"Wait a second," said Maria. "That's the second time you said mates. What are you talking about?"  
  
"What?" asked Che'koth. "You didn't know? Didn't your protectors explain it to you? Haven't you read the book?"  
  
"We don't have a protector," said Max. "Or if we do, we've never seen him. There was Nascedo, but he's dead. He was also incredibly evil."  
  
"Nascedo," spat Che'koth. "The traitor. He was the one responsible for mixing up the embryos before we sent you here to Earth. But I am pleased to see that you managed to assemble the true royal four."  
  
"Only recently," said Max. "Nascedo brought Tess here. Ava was in New York with Lonnie, Rath and Zan. After Rath killed Zan, they came here to find me, to attend some summit meeting. If I promised to turn over the granolith, Kivar's emissary promised us passage home."  
  
"Something you obviously didn't agree with," observed Che'koth."  
  
"No, not at all," said Max. "Anyhow, Ava decided to stay here with us. Alex managed to decode the books, but with everything that's been going on, we really haven't had the opportunity to study them as much as possible."  
  
"And your protectors?"  
  
"As I said, we never knew them," said Max.  
  
"Nascedo killed them all," said Michael. All except for one, who is living in California."  
  
"Look, this is all well and good," said Maria. "But I want to know about this mate thing."  
  
"It is simple," said Che'koth. "In our world, we mate for life. We have a certain gene that modifies itself in a certain way when we meet what you here on Earth would call our soul mate. When we created you, we recoded the gene so that it would activate the granolith when the four of you came here with your mates."  
  
"That's not possible," said Liz. "You can't manipulate DNA that way."  
  
"No Your Highness," said Che'koth. "Your scientists can't modify DNA in such a manner, but ours can."  
  
"But still," argued Liz. "Wouldn't it take the modified DNA of all eight of us to activate the granolith?"  
  
"Yes," said Che'koth.  
  
"But that means," said Liz, her voice trailing off.  
  
"That means that your DNA has been modified as well, you are now, and forever will be, the mate to the King." 


	43. Chapter Forty Three Oops he Did It Agai...

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Forty-Three – Oops, He Did it Again  
  
"I am so NOT anybody's mate," snapped Maria. "So why don't you just climb back into your spaceship, or whatever it is, and head back to Venus?"  
  
"Yeah," added Kyle. "I mean, how do we know the Great Gazoo, here is on the level?"  
  
"The Great Gazoo?" queried Che'koth. "I'm sorry, but I am not familiar with that reference."  
  
"See, that's my point," ranted Maria. "How can somebody, so ignorant of basic Earth culture come in here and tell us we're mated for life, like a bunch of animals in the zoo?  
  
"Maria, will you relax," said Michael quietly. "Give the guy a chance to explain, will ya?  
  
"Maria, shut up!" said Liz, catching a glimpse of pain in Michael's eyes. "Michael's right, we have to give him a chance to explain."  
  
"Fine, whatever," snapped Maria. "Okay, Gazoo, you heard the woman, explain."  
  
"What is it you want to know?" inquired Che'koth.  
  
"Well, more about this mated for life thing, to start with," said Liz. "Not that I don't love you Max," she said, turning to him. "But being told that we have no choice in any of this is a bit unnerving."  
  
"You take offense at the term mated, then?" asked Che'koth. "Forgive me. My aim was not to insult anybody. I think perhaps, the true meaning has been misinterpreted."  
  
"That's a possibility," said Isabelle. "Can you try and explain it again, so we understand better?"  
  
"I can do better than that, Your Highness," said Che'koth. "If you would all join hands and circle the granolith please, I will try and show you exactly what I mean."  
  
Liz and Max quickly joined hands and moved closer to the granolith. After a slight hesitation, Isabelle put her hand in Max's, and held out her other hand to Alex. Michael moved to stand next to Liz, and took her hand in his, and looked back at Maria. Maria glared at the room in general for a moment, then with a huff, moved into the circle and placed her hand in Michael's, and Kyle and Ava quickly completed the circle.  
  
Che'koth bowed his head, and an intense look of concentration crossed his face. In seconds, images began to fill the heads of the group. Liz saw what she took to be an Antarian couple meeting for the first time. She could feel the attraction that the girl felt for the boy. Then she saw a flash of the girl with other people, and she could feel the longing the girl had for the first boy. Another flash, and she saw the boy and girl together again, and felt the love between the two. Another flash, and she saw what she thought was an image of Romeo and Juliet.  
  
The images faded away, and Che'koth raised his head. Liz could see that it glistened with sweat.  
  
"I think I get it," she said, to the room in general.  
  
"Me too," said Alex and Isabelle simultaneously.  
  
"Is there a more correct term?" inquired Che'koth. "I have no wish to offend any of you with improper language.  
  
"Soul mates," said Maria, softly. "You were trying to say we were soul mates. But I still don't understand the DNA stuff. How did our meeting, change our bodies? Is this some alien thing that happened to us?"  
  
"I don't think so," said Liz. "That's why we saw Romeo and Juliet. They were so much in love, that they'd rather die than be apart. I think what Che'koth was explaining to us has been happening forever, but our technology isn't advanced enough to detect it. It probably ties in with pheromones. I can't really explain it very well, but I think it's okay Maria. I mean, think about it, as many times as you and Michael have fought and broken up, you always end up back together."  
  
"I suppose," said Maria.   
  
"And when you're apart, think about how miserable you are," continued Liz. "I really think that's what Che'koth was talking about when he said our DNA changed and that we were mated for life. Am I close?" she asked, turning to the holograph of the Antarian."  
  
"I believe so, Your Majesty. You are very wise, as well as very beautiful. The child you carry is fortunate to have a mother such as yourself."  
  
"How do we know this isn't just some other type of mind warp or something?" asked Kyle. "I mean who is to say he isn't just working some other type of alien mojo on us."  
  
"I don't think he is," said Alex. "It didn't feel anything like when Tess tries to mind warp us. He was just trying to explain something to us, that's all."  
  
Kyle broke free of the circle, and pulled Ava to one side. He looked over his shoulder and glared at the others who were all watching intently. As one, they all turned away and began to discuss anything and everything but the subject at hand with Che'koth and each other.  
  
"Ave," Kyle began. "Look, it's not that I don't care about you. Please don't think that. It's just that all of this is just being thrown at us out of nowhere, and I have to admit to being kind of freaked out."  
  
"Would you be freaked out if someone came and told you that you and Liz were destined to spend the rest of your lives together?" Ava asked, a hint of jealousy in her voice.  
  
"Damn right I would be," said Kyle. "I'd freak even if Hugh Hefner himself showed up and said I was destined to spend my life with Jody Ann Patterson!"  
  
"Who?" asked Ava.  
  
"Jody Ann – never mind," said Kyle. "My point is, knowing that I found my soul mate is a realization I'd like to come to myself. Not something that I want to find out in an alien singing telegram."  
  
"I think I understand," said Ava.   
  
"Um, guys," said Alex. "I hate to interrupt what appears to be a meaningful moment and all, but the Great Gazoo has something he wants to share with us."  
  
Kyle and Ava followed Alex over to the center of the room.  
  
"Okay, Gazoo, what do you have for us now?" asked Kyle, his tone still resentful.  
  
"I do wish someone would explain the term Gazoo to me," said Che'koth."  
  
"Well, are you familiar with the Flintstones?" asked Max, a small grin playing on his face. "If not, we'll save that discussion for another time. Right now, I'd rather hear what else you have to tell us."  
  
"There is much to discuss, but my first duty is to inform you you're your Royal Mother has been informed of your Setara, and has acknowledged them as legal and binding."  
  
"Setara?" asked Max. "What's that?"  
  
"You don't know?" asked Che'koth, his voice full of shock. "You are married."  
  
Max looked at Liz and shared a secret smile with her.  
  
"That's okay," he said. "We were planning on doing that anyhow!"  
  
"Your Majesty," said Che'koth. "I'm not sure you are understanding me. It is not just you and Liz who are married. "Princess Vilondra and Alex are, as well as Sir Rath, and Maria, and Lady Ava and Kyle. When you activated the granolith, you also participated in the Antarian Setara, or wedding ritual. All of you are married now."


	44. Chapte Forty Four Message in a Bottle

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Forty-Four – Message in a Bottle  
  
Without a word, Maria spun on one heel and exited the granolith chamber.  
  
"Michael, wait," said Alex, holding up an arm to stop Michael from following Maria. "Let me talk to her."  
  
"Fine!" said Michael, his voice sullen. "Obviously she finds the thought of me repulsive anyway. This is all your fault," he said, turning towards Che'koth. "If you had just kept your big mouth shut, everything would have been fine."  
  
"I am sorry I have angered you, Lord Rath. We just assumed that your basic understanding of our culture, coupled with the explanations in the book would clarify everything for you," said Che'koth  
  
"Again with that damn book!" shouted Kyle. "Why do you keep harping on it anyhow? How did you expect them to read it? The damn thing is written in Antarian. Alex just figured out how to decode the stupid thing. Not that it did any good, at least until Max stole the other book from those rejects."  
  
"You are telling me that none of you can read Antarian?" asked Che'koth.  
  
"Boy, he's really quick on the uptake," Kyle said to Ava. "Hello, Gazoo, are you even listening?" Kyle asked, waving his hand in front of the holographic image. No, they can't read Antarian."  
  
"But how can that be?" asked a confused Che'koth. "That knowledge, as well as a rudimentary history of our world was into your cells when you were created."  
  
"Well, it didn't work," said Max, flatly.   
  
"You are telling me that all you know of our world is what I have told you, and what you have found out for yourselves from a book decoded by a human?"  
  
"Light dawns over marble head," said Michael. "You got it, dude."  
  
"This is unthinkable," said Che'koth. "I must meet with the others and find out how they want to proceed. When would be a convenient time for us to reconvene, Your Majesty," said Che'koth, turning to Max.  
  
"Uh, tomorrow night, at 10:00?" said Max, looking at the others for confirmation.  
  
"That's no good, Max," said Isabelle. "Alex is leaving for Las Cruses the day after that. His parents will want him home."  
  
"Damn, that's right. Okay, tonight then?" queried Max. After everyone nodded, he turned to Che'koth. "Tonight, at 10:00 p.m. We'll be here, and you had better be back, with answers for us."  
  
"As you wish Your Majesty," said Che'koth. He bowed, and his image faded from the chamber.  
  
  
"Maria, wait up, will you?" shouted Alex as he chased Maria down the path. "What is your problem?" he panted as he jogged up beside her.  
  
"My problem? My problem? Alex, didn't you hear what I heard in there. What do you think my problem is?" ranted Maria.  
  
"Well other than the fact that if you don't breathe soon, you are going to pass out from lack of oxygen, I'm not really sure," said Alex.  
  
"Well, maybe you want to be glued to Isabelle for the rest of your life," Maria snapped, but I think I deserved some say in being with Michael for all eternity!"  
  
"Maria, will you listen to me for a second?" asked Alex. "I mean really really listen?"  
  
Go ahead," said Maria. "I'm listening."  
  
"Do you love Michael?"  
  
"What kind of a question is that?" asked Maria. "You know I do."  
  
"And if you could spend the rest of your life with any one person, who would it be?"  
  
"Mel Gibson," said Maria, promptly.  
  
"Maria, we're existing on this plane, not the one that lives in your mind," said Alex with a sigh.  
  
"Michael," said Maria, grudgingly. "But I just don't like being told that I have no choice in the matter."  
  
"See, I knew it," said Alex. "I knew you weren't listening. Maria, it was all about choice. We all chose each other, and when our bodies recognized that we found our true loves, our biological selves accepted it. For all we know, human DNA does the same thing, but our scientists haven't discovered it yet. If your heart and soul hadn't already chosen Michael, there is now way we could have activated the granolith."  
  
"Well, I…," began Maria.  
  
"I know, it's just that it all happened so fast, and Che'koth was throwing around all these words that none of us expected to hear," said Alex.  
  
"And I freaked," said Maria, ruefully. "God, Michael must totally hate me about now."  
  
"Not hate," said Alex. "But he's hurt, Maria. Bad."  
  
"Alex, how can I ever get him to understand that it wasn't about him. Not in a bad way, anyhow. It's just that I felt like I was losing my free will. I love Michael Guerin, with all my heart. I'm never going to be able to explain to him why I acted like such an ass. He's never going to forgive me!" wailed Maria.  
  
"Well, not right this second, I'm not," said Michael, coming up behind her. "But I probably will by tonight, if you promise to stop freaking out so easily."  
  
"Michael, I'm so sorry," cried Maria, throwing herself into his arms. Michael wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, their two bodies swaying slightly.  
  
"What's tonight?" Alex asked, as the rest of the group approached.  
  
"Tonight is when we get some answers we hope," said Isabelle, slipping her hand into Alex's.   
  
"Yeah, according to Che'koth, when we all hatched, we should have known how to read Antarian, and had a rough idea of what life on our planet was all about," said Ava.  
  
"But things didn't go according to plan, which I'm beginning to believe is pretty much standard when it comes to you guys," said Kyle. "Anyhow, the Great Gazoo is going to try and get some answers for us, and we're all going to meet back here tonight."  
  
"Tonight?" said Alex, his voice cracking with anger. "This is my last night with Isabelle before I go off to be the computer slave of the evil mind warping hell beast. Great!"  
  
"Alex, don't worry," Isabelle said, softly. "We'll work something out. Besides, I'm going to be looking at some colleges soon, I'm sure I can arrange a tour of the Las Cruses campus."  
  
"I just don't want to leave you here with her and those other psychopaths," explained Alex.  
  
"I know, but we have to go along with her until we can really figure out what she's up to. I'll be safe; we'll all be safe. You're the one I'm worried about," said Isabelle.  
  
"Can we agree that we're all worried about each other," said Maria. "And get out of here. It's hot, and I'm hungry, and I want to finish apologizing to Michael in private."  
  
They made their way to their cars, and drove off towards Roswell. After several minutes, another car pulled out from behind the sandstone outcroppings and began to follow the small caravan back to Roswell.  
  


_It all started with a boy, a girl, and a silver handprint._


	45. Chapter Forty Five Decpetions and Delus...

[b]Disclaimer:[/b] You know the drill…the characters aren't mine Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
[b]Rating:[/b] PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Forty-Five – [I]Deceptions and Delusions[/I]  
  
The first day back at school, after finding out she was officially married was a tough one for Liz. Not to mention the fact that she had to watch Tess practically glue herself to Max. It was either that, or possibly some type of alien morning sickness that made her want to throw up every time she saw Tess.  
  
The bell rang, and Liz slid through the door of study hall as the last echo of the ring faded away, earning her a look of reprimand from Mr. Seligman.  
  
"Sorry," she said, walking past the desk and taking her seat. She opened her chemistry book, and notebook, and tried to study  
  
[I]When the agent is added to the reactant, it's properties will….[/I]. Liz's eyes glazed over and her mind began to wander.  
  
Che'koth materialized in front of them as they assembled in front of the granolith.  
  
"Greetings Majesties," he said, inclining his head slightly towards Max and Liz.  
  
[I]Oh my God,[/I] Liz thought to herself in shock. [I]He means me. I'm considered royalty now![/I] She shook her head, and tried to focus on Che'koth's words, while a small part of her brain tried to focus on her realization.  
  
"Our thinkers are unsure as to why the memory implants did not take. They hypothesize that when our enemies tampered with the embryos, some damage occurred. They have come up with a solution to this unforeseen difficulty, however."  
  
"So like what are they going to get, the Cliff Notes version of Antarian history?" asked Kyle.  
  
"Something like that, my Lord, however, you all will be a part of this process."  
  
"Uh, define the word process, would you?" asked Kyle, every alien abduction movie he had ever seen flashing through his mind.  
  
"If you will all take your positions around the granolith, the process can begin," said Che'koth. "It is not a painful procedure, and after it is completed, you will understand so much more about our world, and your place in it."  
  
As a seamless unit, they move to the places where they had stood the first time they activated the granolith. As soon as they were in place, a burst of orange light shot out from the granolith and enveloped them. Liz felt a surge of energy rush through her body. Her legs felt as if they could no longer hold her up, yet she didn't topple to the floor. She remained standing, as though held by some unseen force. Suddenly, her mind was filled with images. Scene after scene flashed through her head, along with thousands of voices. Her head felt as though it was going to explode from all the information she was trying to process. Faster and faster the images poured into her head. She was unable to pick out any details, and yet she felt as though she had a complete grasp of everything that she saw. The images began to slow, and she saw Max. She knew it was Max, but it wasn't.  
  
[I]Zan,[/I] she thought. [I]That must be Zan.[/I] She saw what her friends lives were like on Antar. She saw them growing up together, laughing, and playing and having fun, swimming in the ocean, and climbing trees. She saw them grow up, and assume adult roles, and she saw them die. She tried to scream. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out, or if it did, it was lost in the cacophony of voices she still heard in her head. Liz saw a beautiful woman emerge amid all the death and destruction, and she realized it was Max and Isabelle's mother. She saw the scientists working frantically, trying to preserve the DNA of the four, to ensure that they would live again.  
  
The images began to speed up again, and Liz saw how the people of Antar lived since the death of King Zan. On the surface, life was normal, but they were the virtual prisoners of Kivar. An image of Max and Isabelle's mother appeared again, only this time, she spoke to them directly.  
  
"My children. Che'koth has told me what has happened, and how you have no memory of our world. It is our hopes that after this procedure, you will know all there is to know of our world and our lives. I beg you, do not think of returning to Antar. It is not safe for you her. But do not worry for our safety, for the end is near. We are close to driving Kivar and his followers out of office, and when that happens, the royal house of Antar will again rule!"  
  
"Ms. Parker. Ms. Parker! Were you planning on attending your next class any time soon?" Liz heard a dry voice ask from a distance. She mentally shook herself from her reverie.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Seligman. I was, uh, I was just studying," stammered Liz.  
  
"Ms. Parker, I may not be 'with it,' but I am also not stupid," said the science teacher. "You were no more studying, than I was. Now get your things together and move along to your next class. I'm certain your next teacher won't be as understanding as I was."  
  
"Yes, Mr. Seligman, I'm sorry Mr. Seligman," said Liz, gathering her books. She rushed out into the hall, and joined the mass of students moving through the hall. Liz pushed on, trying to get to class, when a hand reached out and pulled her out of the crowd.  
  
"Hey, hey Lizzie, babe. How's it hangin? You are lookin fine, babe. How about youse and I go play a game of tonsil hockey?"  
  
"Michael!" she cried. "What's gotten into you? Let go of me, I'm going to be late for class." Liz pulled her arm away from Michael, gave him a strange look and continued her journey up the hall. She was just about to walk into her English class when she heard her name being shouted down the hall.  
  
"Liz! Liz! Wait up a second, I want to talk to you." She turned to find Michael waving to her, and pushing through the other students to get to her side.  
  
"Now what, Michael?" she asked wearily. "Are you here to challenge me to another game of, what did you call it, tonsil hockey?"  
  
"No, I, what?" he asked, in confusion.  
  
"Just a minute ago," said Liz. "Down the hall, by Max's locker, you pulled me out of the crowed and practically mauled me. Wait a second," she said, her voice puzzled. "How did you get up here so fast, and when did you change clothes?"  
  
"Liz, are you alright?" asked Michael. "You're talking kind of crazy. I was just down in shop class. I haven't been near Max's locker all morning."  
  
"Michael, stop fooling around," said Liz. "I just saw you down there, and you were wearing a West Roswell High sweat shirt."  
  
"Liz, was last night too much for you or something," he asked worriedly. "I don't even own a West Roswell High shirt. You couldn't have seen," his voice trailed off. He looked around and spied Kyle running down the hall.  
  
"Valenti!" he called. "Get over here right now!"  
  
"No problem," said Kyle. "Since it's my class anyhow."  
  
"I don't care about that," said Michael. "I think we have a problem. Stick with Liz. Don't let her out of your site. I'm going to go check it out!"  
  
"What was that all about?" asked Kyle. "Liz, are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah," she replied, her voice shaking a bit. "But I think I just had another run in with Rath." 


	46. Chapter Forty Six 8675309

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Forty-Six 867-5309  
  
Ava wrinkled her nose as she smoothed down the rather conservative shirt that Liz had loaned her. She tucked it into the jeans that Kyle's father had bought her, and grimaced as she thought about how plain she looked. With a sigh, she slid of the counter in the bathroom she was hiding in, and looked around. It was pretty standard, as far as equipment went, but it had one point in its favor. The girl's room at West Roswell High was about a hundred times cleaner than any of the public bathrooms back in New York City  
  
The bell rang, signaling the end of the period, and Ava waited, counting to ten. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door, and stepped out into the crowded hallway.  
  
"Tess! Hey, Tess, wait up!" she heard a voice behind her call out. She turned and waved a hand, but kept pressing on. After several minutes of prowling the unfamiliar hallways, she found what she was looking for.  
  
"Isabelle!" she called, doing her best to eliminate all traces of her New York accent from her voice. "Isabelle, can I talk to you for a second?"  
  
"What do you want, Tess?" Isabelle asked, unable to keep the coldness out of her voice. "Look, I really don't have a lot of time, so why don't you go hang all over Max, or something?" As she spoke, Isabelle allowed her eyes to wander over the students in the hallway, looking for something to distract her from the girl standing in front of her. Her eyes widened in shock, as she saw Max turn the corner and start waking down the hall, his arm around Tess, and a look of barely concealed disgust on his face.  
  
"Wha?" began Isabelle. "Ava?" she finished, incredulously.  
  
"Yeah, I got a message from Alex for you," said the other girl.  
  
"Alex?" asked Isabelle. "Is he alright? I've been so worried about him."  
  
"Relax, he's fine. He called to give," Ava stopped speaking as Isabelle grabbed her by the arm and began to drag her down the hallway. She shoved her into a janitor's closet and whispered, "Wait for me here. And whatever you do, don't come out. Max and Tess are on their way down the hall. I'll be back in a few minutes." She closed the door behind her without waiting for an answer and used her powers to lock the door. She ran down to her classroom. Just before she walked in the door, she used her powers to remove the make up from her face. When it was gone, she walked into the classroom and went directly to the teacher's desk.  
  
"Ms. Johnson?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, Isabelle, what is it?" asked the teacher, not really looking up from the papers she was grading.  
  
"I'm not feeling very well, and I was wondering if I could have a pass to the nurse's office."  
  
Ms. Johnson looked up, prepared to turn down the request, when she saw Isabelle's face."  
  
"Of course Isabelle," she said. "You are looking a bit pale. I hope it's nothing serious."  
  
"Oh, I don't think so, Ms. Johnson," said Isabelle, taking the pass the teacher offered. "I'm sure it's just too many late nights studying, coupled with a bit of a cold. Thanks for the pass."  
  
Isabelle quickly exited the classroom and made her way down to the janitor's closet. Using her powers, she released the lock and opened the door.  
  
"Come on," she whispered to Ava. "We can't talk here. We can't risk anybody seeing you and Tess in the same place."  
  
"I know," said Ava. "But I figured you'd want to get any messages from Alex ASAP."  
  
"You're right," said Isabelle. "Come on, the bell's about to ring. We can go sit in the library. Nobody will bother us there."  
  
Isabelle and Ava climbed the staircase that led to the library. Ava hung back and allowed Isabelle to lead the way through the book filled room to the back, where the quiet study area was located. Isabelle pulled a chair out and was about to sit down, when she felt Ava nudge her from behind.  
  
"Look," whispered Ava, pointing across the room. Isabelle looked up, and saw Liz sitting at a table, while Kyle hovered nervously above her.  
  
"Tell me one thing," she whispered to Ava. "Is Alex okay? I mean, everything really is okay, right? You weren't just saying that, were you?"  
  
"I promise you, Alex is fine, and just as weird as ever," said Ava. "Why?"  
  
"We'd better go see what's up with them, don't you think?" said Isabelle, nodding in the direction of Kyle and Liz. A smile lit up Ava's face when she saw Kyle, and the two girls crossed the room and sat down.  
  
"Hi Isabelle," said Kyle. He slipped his arm around Ava and kissed her on the cheek. "Not that I'm NOT happy to see you," he said. "But aren't you taking a huge risk coming here dressed like Tess? How did you know anyhow? Did Michael call you?"  
  
"Wait a second," interrupted Isabelle. "I'm confused. What was Michael supposed to tell us, and how did you know that it was Ava, anyhow. I thought she was Tess, until I saw Tess in the hallway with Max."  
  
"It's easy," said Kyle, smugly. "Look at her ears. She has too many earrings in her ears. Tess only has one hole in each ear. Ava forgot to take out some earrings. Besides, "he continued, his voice softening, "Look at her eyes, they are so much softer, more innocent. Tess has that hard, I'm going to kill you in your sleep look. Oh and Michael is out looking for Rath, he's somewhere in the school," he added as an afterthought.  
  
"What!" Ava and Isabelle exclaimed in unison.  
  
"Yeah," said Liz, who up till now had remained silent. "I thought it was Michael who grabbed me in the hall. He challenged me to a game of tonsil hockey, so I just blew him off and went to class. All of a sudden, there was Michael again, coming from the opposite direction. I told him what happened, and he figured it out that it was Rath right away. I can't believe I didn't think of it myself, what a spazz. Anyway, he grabbed Kyle for babysitting duty, and went to try and figure out what's going on."  
  
"Have you told Max yet?" asked Isabelle  
  
"No, I didn't get a chance," said Liz. "Kyle dragged me up here, right away.  
  
"Um, Liz, not to state the obvious," said Isabelle gently. "But you and Max do have that whole alien baby induced telepathy thing going on, remember?"  
  
"Oh, God," said Liz, burying her head in her hands. "I am so stupid today. What is wrong with me?"  
  
"N'ah, you're not stupid, Liz," said Ava, rubbing Liz's back gently. "Bumpin into Rath like that just freaked you out, not to mention everything else that's been goin on. Why don't you try it now."  
  
Liz closed her eyes, and concentrated intently. Several seconds later, she opened her eyes and glared at her friends.  
  
"This would probably work a lot better if you all weren't staring at me," she snapped. She waited until the all moved several feet away, and tried again. After several minutes, she opened her eyes, a look of dejection on her face.  
  
"It's no good," she said. "It didn't work."  
  
"Well, maybe the baby has to be awake or something," said Kyle, leaning towards her stomach. "Hey, Junior! Wake up in there. Mommy has to make a phone call."  
  
"God, you are such a loser, Kyle," laughed Liz, pushing him away.  
  
"Don't worry about it," said Isabelle. "I'll find him." She paused and looked at her watch. "Class is just about over. Where are you guys going to be?"  
  
"I have got Spanish," said Kyle, the look on his face clearly conveying his opinion of that subject.  
  
"And I've got history," added Liz.  
  
"Do you think it would be okay if I hung out in here?" asked Ava, her eyes scanning the rows of books hungrily.  
  
"Perfect," said Isabelle. "And Ava, if one of us doesn't get back here before 2:45, meet me in the student parking lot, over by the cafeteria. Liz, what was Michael wearing today?"  
  
"I don't remember," said Liz. "Typical fashions by Michael, I would guess, but Rath was wearing a West Roswell High sweatshirt."  
  
"Thanks," said Isabelle as the bell rang. "Now I know who to avoid."   
  
"Isabelle wait," said Ava. "That message from Alex…he called and said he picked up one of those cell phones where buy the minutes month by month, and he wanted to give you the number."  
  
"Thanks Ava. What is it?" asked Isabelle, her eyes alight with joy.  
  
"Well, it was kind of weird, he said when you called, to say it was Jenny, and the number was 867-5309. Does that make any sense to you at all?"  
  
"Yes," groaned Isabelle, thinking of the old 80's song. "Alex being Alex, it makes perfect sense. Thanks again, Ava. Are you ready Liz?"  
She and Liz walked to the door and waited while Kyle said goodbye to Ava. After he joined them, the three left the library. Kyle walked Liz to class, while Isabelle went in search of her brother. She walked into the student lounge and looked around, and froze. Walking out the door, she saw Maria walking arm in arm, with Michael, a Michael that was wearing a West Roswell High sweatshirt.  
  



	47. Chapter Forty Seven Blaze of Glory

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Forty-Seven Blaze of Glory  
  
  
"Yo, Maria-babe, you are looking hot today," said Rath, slapping Maria on the ass as she walked down the crowded hallway.  
  
"Michael," Maria whispered. "What are you doing?" She looked around, hoping nobody had noticed Michael's stunt.  
  
  
"Whaddya mean, what am I doin? Can't I get some lovin from my woman before I head back to the salt mines?"  
  
"Um, yeah, sure," said Maria, looking at him closely. She paused as her mind worked feverishly, putting pieces together. Suddenly, everything clicked into place. She slipped her arm through Rath's and began to lead him down the corridor towards a door that lead outside.  
"I thought we'd agreed to keep it low key here at school. You said the public displays of affection were bad for your image."  
  
"Yeah, I know," said Rath, trying to grin engagingly. "But you looked so hot, I couldn't control myself."  
  
"Well, I'll tell you what," said Maria, snuggling up to him seductively. "Why don't we take a walk down behind the bleachers on the football field, and we can, ah, talk or something."  
  
"Righteous, Maria-babe," said Rath, his hand sliding down to cup her behind. Maria forced herself not to shudder and continued walking down the hall.   
  
"Maria! Maria!" a voice called. Maria turned, and saw Isabelle calling and waving at her. Maria turned away, and smiled at Rath.  
  
"Ignore her," she said. "I try to, as much as possible. She's such a bitch."  
  
"Yeah, she's really been comin down on you, hasn't she?" agreed Rath. "Screw her, let's get goin."  
  
Maria smiled to herself; Rath just buried himself with that statement. He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wasn't Michael. As mad as he may get with Isabelle, Michael was intensely loyal to her, and to Max. The two walked across the school grounds and down to the football field. Maria looked around before she slipped under the bleachers. She picked her way across the trash-strewn ground, with Rath right behind her.  
  
"Oh, this is just so disgusting," she said, kicking a half eaten hotdog. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea."  
  
"I think it was a perfect idea," said Rath, pulling her close. He pressed his lips against hers, and thrust his tongue into her mouth. Maria choked back a gag, and tried to return the assault on her mouth that he called a kiss.  
  
"What about Tess?" Rath asked when he paused for a breath. "You must be pretty pissed at her for bein with Max. I mean with you and Liz bein so tight and all."  
  
"Well, maybe a little, at first," said Maria. "But after all, they're supposed to be together, it's their destiny, right?"  
  
"But if you believe that, then that means me and Isabelle belong together," said Rath.  
  
"No, silly," said Maria, trying to make her voice flirtatious. "We belong together. That's different."  
  
"No it ain't babe," said Rath, morphing from his Michael face, back to his regular pierced self. "And I ain't lettin' you, or any of your stupid redneck friends stop us from goin home. You are one hot chic, Maria, but it's over for you. This is the end of the line, it's time for you to check out."  
  
"I don't think so, you bastard," said Maria, her voice grim. "It's time for you to check out." She pressed her hand against his chest and blasted him with a bolt of energy. Rath flew backward, and landed against one of the steel girders that supported the bleachers.  
  
"Oh my God," said Maria. "What did I just do?" She turned to run, and found herself wrapped in a pair of arms.  
  
"Maria, Maria, it's okay, it's me," said Michael, holding her tightly. "It's okay, I'm here. I've got you."  
  
"I killed him, I killed him," she sobbed.  
  
"Maria, stop it," said Michael. "You had to do it. He was going to kill you. You did what you had to do to save yourself."  
  
"Maria! Michael!" called Max as he ran under the bleachers. "What happened? Maria, are you okay? Isabelle told me she saw you leaving with Rath. Did he hurt you?"  
  
"H-he was going to kill me," sobbed Maria. "He s-said that we were standing in his way, preventing him from going home. I k-killed him. Me, I did this," she cried, pointing to Rath's body.   
  
"Okay, here's what we're going to do," said Max. "I want you to go find Kyle, and Ava, and get my Jeep and bring it as close to here as possible. I'm going to heal him, and we're going to get him out of here."  
  
"Heal him!" shouted Michael. "Are you whacked, Max? That bastard tried to kill Maria."  
  
"I know that," said Max, trying to remain patient. "But think about what's going to happen if anybody finds the dead body of Michael Guerin. Don't you think that will cause a bit of confusion, especially when they see you walking around."  
  
"You're right," admitted Michael. "I didn't think of that. We'll go get Kyle and Ava."  
  
"Never mind," said Max. "They're on their way, and Isabelle and Liz are with them."  
  
"What? How?" asked Maria, coming out of her reverie.  
  
"Baby bonding thing," said Max. "Liz said she'd been trying to contact me all day, but it wasn't working. It finally kicked in after I came down here." He knelt down beside Rath's body and placed his hand over the wound in Rath's chest. He concentrated, and a silver glow emanated from his hand. After several minutes, Rath tried to sit up, but was restrained by Michael.  
  
"I don't think so, you son of a bitch," said Michael. "We have other plans for you." Rath struggled to get away, but was unable to free himself from Michael's grasp.  
  
"Max, Michael, where are you guys?" Kyle whispered from behind the bleachers.  
  
"Here, underneath," said Max. "Is Ava with you?"  
  
"Yeah, hang on, we're coming," said Kyle. He climbed under the bleachers and held out a hand to help Ava. The two joined Michael, Max, and Maria, followed by Isabelle and Liz.  
  
"Ava, I want you to try and mind warp him," Max whispered, so that Rath couldn't here him. "Plant some false memories of today in him. Can you do that?"  
  
"I think so," said Ava, her voice betraying her nervousness. She closed her eyes and concentrated, filling Rath's head with a few meaningless, chance encounters with Max, and Isabelle. "Okay," she said. "I think I've got it. Ask him about lunch?"  
  
"Rath, what happened at lunch today?" asked Max.  
  
"Nothin much," said Rath. "But the food really sucks here, and I saw Max's ex bitch Liz cryin at a table by herself."  
  
"Perfect," said Ava. "I figured Tess would get a kick out of hearing that."  
  
"Now, we have to dump him somewhere," said Max. "Any suggestions."  
  
"Wait a second," said Isabelle. She used her powers to shorten her hair, and change her appearance to resemble Lonnie.  
  
"Yo, lover, what's the plan for tonight?" she asked.  
  
"You and me are supposed to wait for Tess back at the hotel," answered Rath. "Man, I am so sick of that bitch always tellin' us what to do. She needs to get over herself in a big way."  
  
"Ava, can you wipe that from his mind?" asked Isabelle as she changed back to her normal appearance.   
  
  
"Yeah, I can do that," said Ava, her voice more confident. "Why don't I ride out with Kyle and Max, and take care of everything at once?"  
  
"Come on," Kyle said to Michael. "Let's get this piece of trash out to the Jeep."  
  
"Okay," said Michael, turning to where Maria stood with Liz. "Maria, do you want to walk with us, or stay here with Liz?"   
  
"I'm coming with you," she said softly. She started to walk away, but Liz pulled her back and hugged her tightly. The two girls clung to each other for a minute, and then Maria pulled away, to follow Michael out into the bright sunshine.  
  
"Max, I was so scared," said Liz, once the others had left. "I tried and tried to contact you all day, but it didn't work, and then all of a sudden, I was there, inside your head, and I could see everything. I could see Maria and Michael, and Rath lying on the ground dead. I didn't know what had happened."  
  
"We'll figure it out Liz, all of it. Remember, we're supposed to be able to contact each other for the safety of the baby. Maybe because I wasn't in any real danger today, it wouldn't work. Maybe it's triggered by an increase in adrenalin or something. And when I found Michael and Maria here with Rath, that sent my adrenalin levels skyrocketing, and in turn, turned on the internal walkie talkies."  
  
"I don't know," said Liz, stepping into his embrace. "But we need to know more about how it works. We'll have to ask Che'koth. But this isn't the time. You need to get going, and I want to go and talk to Maria some more. She's trying to be strong, but inside, she's falling apart."  
  
"I love you Liz," said Max. "Stick close to Michael and Isabelle for now, will you? Something just isn't feeling right about this whole thing."  
  
"Will I see you tonight?" she asked as the two climbed out from beneath the bleachers.  
  
"I'm supposed to meet Tess at the library to study," said Max, but I'll come by your room after that." The two walked over to where the others waited around the Jeep. Max kissed Liz goodbye and climbed into the Jeep. She watched as the Jeep drove out of sight, and turned to Michael.  
  
"Why don't you take Maria back to your place," she said. "Isabelle and I will pick up some food and meet you there in about an hour and a half." She turned to Isabelle. "Does that sound okay with you?"  
  
"Yeah, said Isabelle," smiling at the smaller girl's sensitivity. Her plan gave Michael and Maria some much needed time alone. "We'll go to Senor Chow's for take out. Does that sound good?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued. "And I've got a number where we can call Alex safely. We can all talk to him tonight!"  
  
"Thanks guys," said Michael softly as the four walked over to the Jetta. "Watch your backs, and watch each other, and we'll see you in a while." Michael helped Maria into the passenger seat in a gesture of unexpected gallantry, and crossed the front of the car and slid into the drivers seat. As he pulled away, Isabelle and Liz climbed into Kyle's Mustang.  
  
"You heard from Alex?" Liz asked as Isabelle started the car.  
  
"No, actually, he got a hold of Ava and left me a message. He bought one of those prepaid cell phones so I can talk to him, and Alex, being Alex, you'll never guess what the number is."  
  
"What," said Liz, a smile forming on her lips.  
  
"867-5309," said Isabelle with a laugh. "And I'm supposed to be Jenny."  
  
"Oh, no," groaned Liz in between giggles. "That is so Alex."  
  
"Yeah it is," said Isabelle, softly. "It really really is."


	48. Chapter FortyEight Aftermath

Sorry for the delay...blame it on RLS, thunder storms and the job hunt. But on the plus side.....i have a new job and I got my purple belt last night in karate go me! Sorry this part is short, but it must seemed like a part that needed to be written.  
  
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Forty-Eight Aftermath  
  
"How's Maria?" Liz asked Michael as he opened the door to admit Isabelle and herself to the apartment.  
  
"She says better," said Michael, "But I don't believe her. It's not something you can get over just like that." He took one of the bags from Isabelle's hands and set it on the table. Wordlessly, Liz began to unpack the food while Michael continued to speak. "I just don't know what to do about it."  
  
"Will you please stop talking about me as if I'm not here," said Maria. She stood in the doorway leading from Michael's room, smoothing one of his shirts down on her body to make sure it covered her. "It happened, it's over with, now move on."  
  
"It's not that simple, Maria," said Liz. "I mean, I can't imagine what you're going through right now, but if you want to talk…" her voice trailed off as she saw the look of barely concealed rage on Maria's face.  
  
"That's right," spat Maria, venomously. "You have no idea of what I'm feeling right now. I killed someone today, but he was scum, and he deserved to die. So if I say it's no big deal, it's no big deal."  
  
"It was a big deal," said Isabelle, her voice trembling. "And I DO know how you feel. This isn't something you should keep bottled up inside, Maria."  
  
"Like you know ANYTHING about what I'm feeling!" shouted Maria. "You killed some stupid skin, and she withered into a big fat pile of dust and blew away. What's the matter?" she taunted. "Do you have nightmares about the big bad dust bunnies coming to get you?"  
  
"Maria, that's enough!" yelled Michael.   
  
"No Michael," said Isabelle. "Let her go. You're right Maria. I do have nightmares all the time. I see the hate on her face, the rage in her eyes, and then, I see it all fade away, in a millisecond, when I kill her. THEN and only then, does she turn into dust. But not a day goes by that I don't have a nightmare about what I did. I see Whitakers's face in my mind every single day, and I will for as long as I live."  
  
"She was nothing to you, Isabelle," said Maria. "She was a skin, the enemy. I was looking at Michael, the man I love. I looked right into Michael's eyes, and I killed him." She burst into violent tears. "Oh God, I killed him. What if I had been wrong? What if it wasn't Rath? I could have killed Michael." She turned to Michael. "I could have killed you!"  
  
Michael gathered the sobbing Maria into his arms and held her close. He looked over her head to where Isabelle and Liz sat silently.  
"Thank you," he mouthed. He swept Maria up in his arms and carried her back into the bedroom.  
  
Isabelle used her powers to reheat the food. The two girls sat down to eat as the door opened and Kyle, Ava and Max entered the apartment.  
  
"Hey," said Kyle. "Did we miss anything?"  
  
"No, not really," said Liz, passing the Kung Pao chicken to Ava. "It's been pretty quiet, really. How did it go with you guys?"  
  
"Pretty straight forward," said Max, helping himself to the Sweet and Sour pork. "We dropped Rath about a half a mile from the motel, and Ava gave him one more mind warp."  
  
"Yeah," added Ava. "I also tried something new. I tried implanting a suggestion in that cesspool he calls a mind to have him and Lonnie head back to New York."  
  
"Do you think it will work?" asked Isabelle. "Because I for one would be more than happy for both of them to be gone. Seeing Lonnie gives me the creeps. It's like looking in a really defective fun house mirror."  
  
"Well, I won't be sad to see them go either," said Kyle. "Having them here, puts all of us in danger. Tess by herself is bad enough, but when you add them to the mix, look out."  
  
"Hey," said Michael, coming out of the bedroom and closing the door softly behind him. "Maria's asleep finally."  
  
"She okay?" asked Liz.  
  
"Yeah, she's going to be fine. Isabelle really managed to get through to her."  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Max.  
  
"Nothing Max, it's not important," said Liz. "We can talk about it later. Right now, we have something else to talk about, something more important."  
  
"What is it Liz, you sound really serious," said Kyle.  
  
"It is serious," said Liz. "And it effects all of us. So far, we've been on the defensive. I think it's time we go on the offensive. We have to take them down."


	49. Chapter Forty Nine Patience is a Virtu...

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Forty-Nine Patience is a Virtue  
  
Tess sat on the sofa in the deserted Valenti living room and opened the large envelope that had just arrived in the morning mail. Silently, she flipped through the pages, her eyes skimming rapidly. The faster she read, the more excited she became. Finally, she had what she wanted. Alex had translated the book for her. She could bring him back from Las Cruses, and nobody would ever be the wiser, thanks to her ability to mind warp.   
  
"Hey, Tess," said Kyle, walking through the front door. "Whatcha got there?"  
  
"Oh, this, nothing," she answered vaguely. "Just some college information I sent away for. I'm hoping that Max and I can get into the same school."  
  
"Mmm, yeah," Kyle answered, walking to the kitchen. He reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a cold soda. "That would be kind of cool. Just remember, Buddha says that,"  
  
"Please," said Tess, holding up a hand to stop his conversation. "Spare me the two-bit Zen crap. I have to go, I'm meeting somebody at the library." Tess picked up the pile of paper, grabbed her bag and walked out the door. Kyle waited until he heard her car start, and then slipped over to the window to watch as she drove down the road. He grabbed the phone and dialed a number.  
  
"It came," he said into the telephone. "Yeah, hook, line and sinker. She was practically salivating when I walked in. You should be getting a call shortly. Now it's up to Michael. I'll see you later." He hung up the phone, grabbed his soda and his car keys and walked back out the door.   
  
  
Michael sat in a booth at the CrashDown Café, and watched as Tess's car drove past. He watched as she parked in an available slot near the library, and went inside. He finished his soda and slid out of the booth. He walked across the café floor towards the door. He pulled the door open and felt the warm air hit him. He turned and looked back at Maria who stood by the register, and gave her a reassuring smile, before turning and walking out the door.   
  
The hot desert sun beat down on Michael as he made his way up the library steps. Before he entered the cool interior of the library, he turned back and looked in the direction of the CrashDown. He imagined that he could see Maria watching him through the large plate glass window. Michael took a deep breath and entered the cool, dark interior of the library. He waited for a moment, giving his eyes time to adjust to the change in light. After his eyes adjusted to the dimmer light, he gazed around the library, until he saw Tess, sitting in a corner, with a stack of papers spread out in front of her.  
  
"Hey," he said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to her. "How's it going?"  
  
"Since when do you care?" asked Tess, her voice slightly suspicious.  
  
"Well, I don't care," said Michael. "Not exactly, but I do need something."  
  
"Please," said Tess. "You virtually ignored me since I got to Roswell, and then you have the nerve to sit down, insult me and ask for a favor in the same breath? I don't think so."  
  
"Come on, Tess. I'm serious about this," said Michael.  
  
"Fine, what do you want, Michael, and it better not be anything about getting back together with Maria. You don't belong with her, you belong with Isabelle."  
  
"No, it's nothing like that. Maria and I are over, she was just a thing, you know? No, it's about my powers."  
  
"What about them?" asked Tess, her curiosity piqued.  
  
"I want to learn how to use them better, how to control them. I mean, I can do all these really cool things, but not when I want, you know what I mean? And Max was saying that you've done some memory retrieval things with him, to help him remember your lives together on Antar. I want to do that too. I was thinking, maybe I can remember how to read and speak Antarian, and then we can read the book. I bet there is a tone of information in there that could help us with our power, and maybe help us get home."  
  
"Why now, Michael?" Tess asked, her voice tinged with suspicion. "I wanted to help you months ago, but you wanted no part of it. What's changed?"  
  
"Me, I've changed," said Michael. "At one point, I actually thing Maria and I might have something going for us, and that maybe it would be okay to be here with her, but we don't. That much is obvious."  
  
"I don't know," said Tess, her voice thoughtful. "What about you and Liz?"  
  
"Liz, what do you mean, me and Liz? There's nothing between me and Liz, no matter what Maria may have thought. I don't even like her very much. She's the reason we're in so much danger from the Special Unit. If Max hadn't healed her, we wouldn't be in any danger!"  
  
"What about that day in the eraser room?"  
  
"What! That was nothing, she just wanted to whine to me about Max dumping her for you, that's all."  
  
Tess paused to mull over the information Michael had given her, and then nodded. "Okay, I'll help you, but we have to lay down some ground rules first."  
  
"Okay, whatever," said Michael. "I just want to get started."  
  
"First, nobody knows about this, not Max, not Isabelle, not anybody. Is that clear?"  
  
"Yeah, sure, but why all the secrecy?" asked Michael.  
  
"Because I'm going to show you something, but before I do, I want to make sure you and I are on the same page."  
  
"Fine, fine, I won't say a word to anybody. When can we get started?"  
  
"First I want you to swear that you won't tell ANYBODY about this. I'm serious Michael."  
  
  
"I promise, Tess. Jesus, what's it going to take for you to believe me?"  
  
"I believe you Michael," said Tess, staring at him intently. He felt her probing his mind, trying to find out if he was misleading her. Apparently satisfied with what she found, Tess smiled and pushed the stack of papers in front of her, over to Michael.  
"I already decoded the book," she said, proudly. "I've been working on it for months, as a surprise for Max. But now I think it would be better if you and I study it together, and then we can show him and Isabelle how powerful we could be, if they would just give up their insane desire to live out their lives, here on this planet."  
  
"You translated it?" asked Michael. "By yourself? Tess, that's incredible. What does it say? What can we do? When do you want to get started working on our powers?"  
  
"Calm down Michael," said Tess. "I haven't finished reading it, but as soon as I do, I'll tell you everything, and as far as working on your powers, what's wrong with now? We can drive out to the desert and start working."  
  
"Great!" said Michael, standing up from the chair he had been sitting in. He waited until Tess walked past him and began to follow her out of the library. He turned his head as the walked past a young girl with short dark hair sitting alone at a table and nodded at her.   
  
Tess and Michael exited the library, and the dark haired girl jumped up and quickly followed them to the outside. She climbed into the passenger seat of an old Toyota and smiled at the driver.  
  
"She bought it," she said. "They're going out to the desert to practice."  
  
"Great," said Kyle, leaning across the seat to kiss the girl. "Are you sure you can warp her into not seeing us?"  
  
"No problem, Ava answered. "She won't see us, and we can get close enough to listen to her AND convince her that Michael's doing exactly what she wants."  
  
"Let's do it, then," said Kyle, starting the car. He eased into traffic and began to drive out of town. "Here," he said, passing Ava a cell phone. "Call Liz and let her know her plan is working. Then call Maria. She must be freaking right about now."  
  



	50. Chapter Fifty Delusions of Grandeur

*gasp* yes, it's an update.  Thanks to everyone for waiting so patiently for me to get my behind in gear.  
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Fifty Delusions of Grandeur  
  
Tess grinned to herself as she walked down the halls of West Roswell High. Everything was going according to plan. Her last practice session with Michael was fantastic. His ability to control his powers was growing by leaps and bounds, and even better, she was subtly turning him to her way of thinking. Alex had decoded the book for her, and the information contained in it was very useful. The things she learned were extremely valuable, both on Earth, as well as on Antar. An added bonus was that Michael was starting to believe everything she told him. She hardly ever had to use her powers to mind warp him any longer. Michael was really starting to believe everything she told him. She hardly ever had to use her powers on him any longer. The book was right. After a while, the mind warp became firmly entrenched in the mind of her victim. Michael was doing whatever she wanted, with just the smallest shove. Yeah, she thought to herself. Michael's turning out to be really cool, it almost seems like a shame that he's going to die.  
Things with Max were going really well also. That stupid little bitch Liz had finally backed off, and Alex had provided her with the information she needed to fulfill her destiny. She was close, so close to completing the pact Nascedo had made with Kivar  
  
  
"We need a break," Michael said to Max. "It's too much. I feel like I've been subjected to a constant barrage of Tess lately, and if I don't get away, I'm going to explode."  
  
"Well, you've been working with her constantly," said Max. "Maybe that has something to do with it?"  
  
"Ya think?" said Michael sarcastically.  
  
"Sorry, that was rather stupid," said Max.   
  
"No, I'm sorry," said Michael. "I shouldn't have jumped down your throat like that. I'm sure it is spending all that time with Tess, but still, I'd rather do that than put up with what you've had to do. Pretending she's your girlfriend must be killing you. I don't know how you are handling that."  
  
Suddenly, Michael found his mind filled with images of Tess kissing and caressing him. He felt her remove his shirt. Her hands began to move slowly down to the snap of his jeans. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and he began to mutter under his breath.  
  
"This isn't right. It's a mind warp, just a mind warp. Tess is doing this, it isn't real."  
  
As quickly as they began, the images fled his mind, and he fell back against the decrepit couch, gasping for breath.  
  
"What the hell was that?" he asked Max. "Why is she doing this to me." "And," he added as an afterthought, "How could she do this to me? I was wearing my ring." He paused and looked down at his hand. "Shit, I lost my ring."  
  
"I have it," said Max, struggling not to smile. "You took it off this afternoon to work on my car, remember?"  
  
"Fine," said Michael, as he shoved the ring on his hand. "But that still doesn't explain why she tried to fill my head with all that crap."  
  
"She didn't," said Ava, walking out of Michael's bedroom. "I did it. But Michael, do you realize that you broke through my mind warp by yourself. You did it yourself, that's so amazing!"  
  
"I don't know whether to hug you or hit you," said Michael. "Why did you put those disgusting images in my head? I'm feeling sick just thinking about it."  
  
"You wanted to know how I handled the romantic stuff with Tess, right?" said Max. "Somehow, Ava's figured out a way to kind of get inside of Tess's mind warps on me, and turn them back around on her."  
  
"That's incredible," said Michael, his voice filed with mock pride. "And to think my little sister did it all by herself."  
  
"Shut up, you big geek," said Ava, throwing a pillow at Michael. "We are twins, after all. You're not that much older than me."  
  
Max sat back and watched as Michael and Ava bantered back and forth. He was amazed to see the how the usually dour and brooding Michael had changed since finding out Ava was his sister. At least Tess did one good thing, Max thought to himself. She brought Ava into our lives.  
  
"Okay," said Max, pulling himself out of his reverie. "If you two are done playing, we have a couple of things to talk about."  
  
"Sure thing, Max," said Ava. "What's up?"  
  
"Michael somehow managed to throw off your mind warp," said Max. "The question is, how? Michael, what exactly did you do?"  
  
"I'm not sure, Maxwell. I just knew something wasn't right, and some small part of me kept fighting against it."  
  
"Ava, did you feel anything when he broke through?" asked Max.  
  
"No, not really. At least I don't think I did, but I'd want to try again, just to make sure."  
  
"I don't have to tell you how big this is," said Max. "It's another line of defense against Tess. The platinum is great, but any extra leverage we can get, the better. We better get everyone together and figure out what's going on. Maybe it means our powers are getting stronger, or maybe hers are getting weaker."  
  
"We also need to discuss my getting out of here for a while," said Michael. "I was serious about what I said earlier. I need a complete change of scenery."  
  
"What do you have in mind?" asked Max.  
  
"Vegas, baby," said Michael with a grin.  
  



	51. Chapter Fifty One Viva Las Vegas

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Fifty-One - Viva Las Vegas  
  
"Max has a plan," said Liz. "I don't know what it is, but he says it will work, and he said the sheriff helped him come up with it."  
  
"Liz, chica, Max's plans are only slightly more successful than Michael's plans. It's never going to work, and oh look, we're going to see it not work first hand."  
  
Liz looked up and say Sheriff Valenti walk into the CrashDown, followed by Maria's mother Amy, and Kyle.  
  
"Oh God," whispered Liz. "Kyle looks like he's going to be sick. This cannot be good."  
  
"Morning ladies," said Sheriff Valenti. "Liz, I was wondering if I could speak with your parents for a minute.  
  
"Uh, sure thing, Sheriff Valenti," said Liz, flashing Kyle a curious glance. She wasn't aware of that particular power  
  
This was so NOT my idea she heard Kyle's voice whisper in her head. Just play along with whatever he says.  
  
Liz glanced at Maria, and then turned and leaned through the pick up window and yelled to her father.  
  
"Dad, Sheriff Valenti is here. He wants to speak with you and Mom." Liz shouted to her father. At his concerned glance, she quickly added, "No, it's not about me."  
  
"Well, Liz, actually it is," said Sheriff Valenti as Liz's dad joined them at the counter. "But it's a good thing. See Jeff, I'm here with good news actually. It seems that Kyle here, has won an all expenses paid vacation for himself and 9 friends to Las Vegas, and it was thanks to Liz. Seems she helped him write the winning essay."  
  
"That's great Kyle," said Jeff, looking confused. "But I don't understand why you're telling me."  
  
"Oh, didn't I mention that," said Jim Valenti, looking as innocent as possible. "Kyle wanted to invite Liz, Maria and their friends along. Amy has agreed to come along and act as a chaperon with me," added the Sheriff."  
  
"Oh my God," muttered Maria. "THIS is Max's plan. There is no way they are going to go for this."  
  
"You're mother already did," whispered Kyle, and without the benefit of Ava's mind warp."  
  
"Look, I never claimed my mother was brilliant," snapped Maria in an undertone. "She married my father, after all."  
  
"I don't know," said Jeff. "I need to check with Nancy before I agree to anything."  
  
"Check with Nancy about what," said Liz's mother as she walked into the café. The sheriff quickly outlined the trip again, stressing the free, as well as the chaperons.   
  
"Why not," agreed Nancy, to Liz's shock and amazement. "Liz has been putting in a lot of extra hours here, as has Maria. It would do them some good to get away. What did you say the sleeping arrangements would be, Amy?"   
  
"We have two adjoining suites," said Amy. "Each with two bedrooms, and a sofa bed in the living rooms. We can put two girls in each of the bedrooms, and I'll take the sofa bed, and Jim can do the same with the boys. The connecting door is between the two living rooms, so there isn't any way they can sneak back and forth between rooms."  
  
"Jeff, what do you think?" asked Nancy.   
  
"If you think it's okay, then it's fine with me," said Jeff. "Did Philip and Diane agree to these plans?" he asked, referring to Max and Isabelle's parents.  
  
"They sure did," said Jim Valenti. "So did Alex's parents."  
  
"So soon?" questioned Amy. "I mean, he just got back from Sweden, didn't he?"  
  
"Yeah, but his parents were so impressed by the reports from the school he attended over there that they decided to cut the apron string a little more," said Amy. "I was a bit surprised, to be honest. They always were a bit over protective."  
  
Liz, Maria and Kyle listened in amazement to the discussion that was going on around them. Unbelievable as it seemed, Max's plan was working.  
  
"Well, it seems like it's too good an opportunity to pass up," said Jeff. "As long as you and Amy are going, I'm okay with Liz going. In fact, Liz, why don't you schedule a few extra shifts for you and Maria so you can pay for your meals and such."  
  
"Meals and hotel and travel all come as a part of the package, Jeff," Jim interjected. "As well as tickets to many of the age appropriate activities. All the girls will need is spending money."  
  
"Th-thanks Mom, Dad!" cried Liz, running around the counter to hug her parents. "It's going to be such a blast!"  
  
"No problem, Lizzie," said Jeff, hugging her tightly. "You're only young once, and I haven't forgotten that, no matter how much you may not believe it. By the way, what was Kyle's winning essay about?"  
  
"Th-the essay?" stammered Liz, her puzzlement showing on her face.  
  
"Yeah, sweetie," said Jeff Parker. "Kyle's winning essay. The one you helped him with."  
  
"Oh, um," stammered Liz.  
  
"It was about the crash and '47," said Kyle. "And what would have happened if there were survivors from the crash living among us today. I compared how I thought they would feel, trying to survive in an alien world and how kids feel trying to survive in the same alien world. You know, they are both outsiders, looking in."  
  
"That's a very interesting topic," said Jeff. "Do you suppose I could read it some time?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, sure Dad, no problem," said Liz, glaring at Kyle. "Listen, why don't we all get together tonight and make some plans and go over the itinerary. Kyle could you give everyone a call and have them meet us here after we close. If it's okay with you and Mom," she added, looking at her father.  
  
"Sure, Lizzie. You know we don't mind when you and your friends hang out here."  
  
"Thanks Dad, and thank you Sheriff Valenti, and you too Mrs. DeLuca. None of this would be possible if it wasn't for you."  
  
"No problem, Liz," said the sheriff, leading Amy towards the door. "It will be fun for all of us.  
  
"A comparison of how the survivors of the 47 crash and kids would feel!" screeched Liz the second Kyle walked back into the café that night. "My God, Kyle! What were you thinking?"  
  
"Actually, it was my idea," said Max. All a part of that hiding in plain sight thing."  
  
"Well, it's stupid," said Liz. "And I hope you have the essay written, because my father wants to read it."  
  
"As a matter of fact," began Max.  
  
"Oh shut up," said Liz with a laugh as she stood on tiptoe and pressed a kiss against his lips. It figures you already wrote it."  
  
The small group of friends laughed and planned how to spend their time in Las Vegas. They laughed, and threw french fries at each other. None of them noticed the small blond girl staring at them through the window of the CrashDown.  
  



	52. Chapter Fifty Two Viva Las Vegas Part...

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Fifty-Two – Viva Las Vegas – Part Two  
  
Tess peered in the window of the CrashDown and watched the group of friends laughing and joking together. She could feel the anger and rage build up inside her. She wanted to hurt someone, and hurt them badly. How could Max do this to her? How could he betray her this way? They were destined to be together. He knew that. She could feel his love growing for her, more and more each day. What was he doing with that evil bitch Liz Parker, anyhow? What was it about her that kept pulling Max away? Tess vowed that she'd never get the chance to do it again.  
  
Ava stiffened and looked out the door.   
  
"Don't look," she said softly, but Tess is outside right now, watching us."  
  
"What do we do now, Max?" asked Isabelle, her voice pensive.  
  
"Panic?" said Max, his voice faint. "I don't know."  
  
"Well, I do," said Kyle. "Ave, can you," he paused.  
  
"Yeah, I'm invisible girl," said Ava with a sigh. "I'd really just rather, like blow her up or something."  
  
"That may happen," said Kyle under his breath as he jogged towards the door. He pulled it open and stuck his head out into the cool spring air.  
  
"Tess, is that you?" he asked. "Where have you been? I've been calling your cell phone all day. Did Dad give you the news?"  
  
"Oh, hi, Kyle," said Tess, her voice dripping with scorn. "I've had my phone with me all day, so obviously you couldn't have tried to hard to call me."  
  
"No, really, I did," said Kyle. "So did Max. We have some awesome news. Come on in, we'll tell you about it."  
  
"Kyle, I'm telling you, I've had my phone on all day, and it didn't ring once," said Tess as the two walked through the doors of the CrashDown.   
  
"Well, maybe the battery's dead or something," said Kyle as he led Tess over towards the table where the group was sitting. "Let me see it."  
  
Tess reached into her bag and pulled out her phone, and Kyle surreptitiously directed a small jolt of energy towards the phone. Tess looked at the display, and her face flushed with anger and embarrassment.   
  
"You were right," she said grudgingly. "The battery's dead. So what was your big news, what's so important?"  
  
Max stood up and swept Tess into his arms and spun her around.  
  
"How would you like an all expenses paid vacation to Las Vegas?" he asked. "Kyle entered an essay contest and first prize was a trip to Las Vegas for the winner and a group of friends. Nine friends to be exact. That's all of us, and the Sheriff and Maria's mom to act as chaperons.   
  
"Oh," said Tess, looking slightly mollified. "What about her?" she asked, glaring at Liz.  
  
"Liz helped me write the essay," said Kyle, slipping his arm around her shoulder. She's coming." He pressed a kiss on her cheek and brushed a strand of hair off her face. Liz giggled nervously and tried to relax her body against him.  
  
"Uh, yeah, and I guess this is a good time to tell you all that Kyle and I got back together." She shot an apologetic look at Ava, who smothered a laugh with her hand, and then shot Liz a thumbs up sign.  
  
"Whatever," said Tess, glaring at Liz, her eyes burning with hate. "So, Max, when do we leave?"  
  
"The day after tomorrow," said Max, slipping Tess's hand into his. "The limo is picking us up at school, and then it's….  
  
"Viva Las Vegas," the group sang out together.  
  
  
They settled into the suites at the Stratosphere Hotel, and Jim and Amy left the kids to enjoy the casino. Michael took charge as soon as the adults left the room and transformed everybody's id's; to make them all appear legal.  
  
""You all can do what you want," said Michael. "But Max and I are going to do some serious male bonding type activities. Anybody has any problem with that," he said, glaring at Tess. "Too bad. Now get out of here, and have a good time!"  
  
Max and Michael headed out the door to try their luck at the casinos, followed closely by Kyle and Alex and Ava, who was still using her mind warping abilities on Tess. Maria scurried out the door almost immediately after them, muttering something about auditions and agents.   
  
"Well, I'm going to go look for some excitement," said Isabelle. She and Alex had already made plans to meet up once they were out of the room, and she didn't want Liz and Tess tagging along. Liz and Tess looked at each other and shrugged, and headed out the door together to the casino.   
  
After several hours of walking around together, trying to make polite small talk, Liz made an excuse to Tess and hurried away. The smoke in the casino was thick and was really making her feel nauseous. Liz waited until Tess was out of sight and then made her way to the elevators that would take her to the top of the Stratosphere.  
  
After a long elevator ride, Liz emerged from the elevator and made her way out onto the observation deck. She was shocked to find that it was dark. She had lost all track of time while she was in the casino. With a sigh, she leaned against the railing and looked out across the sea of sparking lights that made up the Las Vegas Strip.  
  
"What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this," a voice said.  
  
"Max," said Liz. "How did you know I was up here?"  
  
"Junior told me," he said, placing his hand on her stomach.   
  
"What?" she asked, confused. "Now the baby is talking to you?"  
  
"No," Max said with a laugh. "I'm just kidding. I saw you head up here, so I followed you."  
  
"But what about Tess?" Liz asked with concern. "What if she sees us?"  
  
"Relax, I found Alex and Isabelle with Ava and Kyle. They were just coming back from seeing the water show at the Bellagio. Ava volunteered to track Tess down and convince her that we were having an intimate moonlit swim."  
  
"Great," said Liz, sinking against Max. "I really needed to be with you right now. I was missing you so much."  
  
"I love you, Liz," said Max softly.  
  
"And I love you," said Liz. "And I always will."  
  
"Liz, lets get married."  
  
"We are," answered Liz."  
  
"No, I mean now, right here. Everyone is here. Let's get them and go find a wedding chapel and get married. Right now."  
  
"Max, I, I don't know what to say," said Liz.  
  
"Say yes," urged Max "Say yes."  
  
"I, yes," said Liz, her mind filled with the images of the Elvis wedding that Tess had put in her mind. "As long as it's not an Elvis chapel, I say yes!"  
  
Max kissed her, then took her by the hand and led her to the elevator so they could find their friends and tell them their news.


	53. Chapter Fifty Three Into the Frey

Disclaimer: You know the drill.the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 - possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Fifty-Three Into the Frey  
  
The young man put his hand against the Tabasco slot machine as he pulled the lever. Bells began to ring, and a steady stream of quarters spilled out of the machine. The man scooped them up and stuffed them into a large plastic container. He walked over to the cashier's booth and waited in line to exchange the coins for bills. In front of him a voluptuous blonde waited to cash in her containers of quarters.  
  
"You are one hot babe," said the man. "Whadda ya say we cash in our money and party the night away."  
  
"Sounds like you an me got sumptin sumptin goin down," answered the woman.  
  
"You know it. Let's get out of these stupid disguises, and take our cash and do this town up right." Rath wrapped his arms around Lonnie and started to kiss her, his tongue thrusting violently into her mouth."  
  
"Shouldn't we get to Roswell and find Tess, and find out what's goin down, first?" said Lonnie, pulling away from Rath.  
  
"Screw her," said Rath. "I'm sick of waitin for her to contact us," he said. "Our friggin book is missen, and it was either her, or that Zan wanna be that stole it. I'm sick of doin this on her terms. It's time for us to do this our way. But first, we party."  
  
"Ya know," said Lonnie. "Zan, man he was wrong. He weren't da man, Rath, you da man!"  
  
The line moved up and Lonnie handed her container to the cashier, who glared at her suspiciously.  
  
"You seem to be winning an awful lot," the cashier stated.  
  
"Nah, that's just your, you know, imagination or sumptin," said Lonnie. "You ain't never seen me before, now just give me my friggin money." She glared at him, her eyes full of anger.  
  
The cashier instinctively took a step back, as if to shield himself from the rage that burned within her eyes.  
  
"M-my mistake, Miss," he stammered. He quickly grabbed her container of change and fed it through the counter. When it was done, he grabbed a stack of bills and passed it through the security window. "Thank you for patronage. I hope you enjoyed your time at the Stratosphere."  
  
Lonnie stood to one side, and waited while Rath cashed in his change. When he was done, he walked over to where she was waiting. He pulled her to him, and pressed his body against hers, while his hand caressed her behind.  
  
"I thought I was gonna have to axe that mother," he said. But you played him good."  
  
"Shaddup, Rath," Lonnie answered, staring over his shoulder.  
  
"What did you say to me, bitch?" he growled, shoving her away from him.  
  
"I said shut the fuck up, that's what," she said. "Look over there." She pointed across the casino. "It's Queenie. Looks like she came to play with the big kids."  
  
Max, Liz and their friends walked down the strip, their eyes shining with the reflected lights on the buildings.  
  
"What's the big surprise?" asked Kyle. "And why are we all here, together? Shouldn't somebody have Tess duty?"  
  
"Someone did have Tess duty," said Ava, slipping her hand into his. "Max asked me if I could put a long lasting warp on her to make her think she was going swimming with Max. Even now, she is probably splashing around in the hotel pool with Max by her side."  
  
"Nice," said Kyle. "When we get back, could you do that on my teachers so they'll all think I aced my finals?"  
  
"Sorry to interrupt," said Max, "But this is where we want to go."  
  
"The Venetian?" said Maria. "Oh goody, are we going on a gondola ride?"  
  
"Something like that," said Max, as the group entered the luxury hotel. "Liz and I have,"  
  
"Will you look at that!" exclaimed Kyle, his voice reverent. He broke away from the group and walked over to a giant statue of Buddha.  
  
"Um, Kyle, I hate to drag you away from your worship and all that, but I was trying to make a point here," said Max.  
  
"Max," said Kyle. "I'm not worshipping. I'm merely admiring the fine work and artistry that went into capturing the image of Buddha."  
  
"Kyle, we need you to focus here," said Liz, gently pulling him away from the statue. "You can come back later and admire to your hearts content."  
  
"Fine," grumbled Kyle. "But I don't see what's so important that it can't wait a few minutes."  
  
"Liz and I are getting married," interjected Max. "Here, right now. With all of you as our witnesses."  
  
"WHAT?" everyone shouted.  
  
"You heard me," said Max. He turned and began to walk towards the Grand Canal. "Liz and I are getting married, and we want all of you to be there to share it with us."  
  
The group, led by Max, walked to the bridge that crossed over the canal. It was decorated with white roses, and music played softly in the background. Two white and gold gondolas bobbed in the water majestically, awaiting their joyous cargo. They waited quietly, as the wedding official explained the ceremony to them and prepared the marriage license. As he spoke, the other couples communicated silently among themselves. As one, they stepped forward towards Max and Liz, and the wedding official.  
  
"Max," said Michael. "I, we all get how this was going to be just for you and Liz, but it seems to me that since we did this once before as a group, it would kind of make sense for us to do this together, too."  
  
"Are you saying that you and Maria want to get married to?" Max asked, incredulously.  
  
"We already are married, or mated, or whatever it is they call it back on Antar. We want to do it here, too."  
  
"We all do, Max," said Isabelle. "Only this time, it's our choice to do it. We aren't activating the granolith or anything. We're choosing to be together."  
  
"Isabelle's right," said Alex. "There is a certain sense of right about it. This time it's our decision."  
  
"But only if it's okay with you and Liz," added Kyle. "We don't want to take anything away from you."  
  
"I think it sounds perfect," said Liz. "I can't think of a more perfect way to celebrate our wedding."  
  
"Yeah, and this way, none of us have an excuse for forgetting our anniversary," quipped Kyle.  
  
Max stepped away from the group and had a hurried conversation with the wedding official. Several minutes later, they all stood on the bridge and recited their vows in front of each other. Cheers broke out from the onlookers as the couples kissed. The climbed into the two waiting gondolas and took their wedding cruise on the canal. 


	54. Chapter Fifty Four Oops, We Did it Aga...

**Disclaimer:** You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows _THAT'S_ not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.   
  
**Rating:** PG-13 – possibly to R   
  
**Love Changes Everything**   
  
_Chapter Fifty-Four_ **Oops, We Did it Again**   
"Hey Queenie, how's it goin?" said Rath.   
  
Tess looked nervously back in the direction of the pool and quickly pushed Rath and Lonnie down the hall of the Stratosphere.   
  
"What are you doing here?" she hissed. "Max is going to be leaving the pool any second.   
  
"What you talking bout, Queenie?" asked Rath. "We've been watchin you for a while, and we ain't," Rath stopped, and shook his head. "Yeah, you're right, we don't want that Zan wanna be spyin on us," he said.   
  
"Both of yuse shuddup, will ya and let's jam," said Lonnie. "I think I hear him comin. Come on, we can hide in here." She used her powers to open a door, and pulled Rath and Tess into the supply closet.   
  
"That was close," said Tess. "What the hell are you two doing here? I told you I'd contact you."   
  
"Yeah, well, we got tired of waitin, Queenie," said Rath. "So we decided to take a little road trip back to Opieville. We're missin sumthin, and the way we figure it, either you or your Zan, lifted it."   
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Tess. "Like the either one of you would have anything that I would ever want to steal."   
  
"Yeah, well what about good ole Maxie, then?" asked Lonnie.   
  
"Right," said Tess, sarcastically. "As if Max were capable of stealing anything. Anyhow, I've got more important news," Tess continued. "I got that techno geek Alex to decode the book for me. As soon as I can read it, and get everything together, we're going back to Antar."   
  
"You mean you ain't read it yet?" asked Rath. "What the hell is your problem? Why the frig are you livin it up here in Vegas, when you should be figuring out how to get us home?"   
  
"Because we still need Max, you idiot," said Tess. "That's why. We can't go back without the Royal Four, and since you were stupid enough to kill Zan, we have to make due with that sub defective Max. You know that as well as I do. Now I want you to take yourselves back to that sewer you call a home and wait until you hear from me. Is that clear?" Tess. As she spoke, she used her powers to encourage them to see things her way. She waited, while the mind warp took effect. After a few seconds, they both nodded.   
  
"Now get out of here, and don't let anyone see you," she said. "Everyone is here, including Michael and Isabelle. That's the last thing we need, is for someone to see the four of you together."   
  
"Yeah, no problem Tess," said Lonnie. "I don't know what we was thinking of, comin here like this. You'll contact us when it's time."   
  
"That's right," said Tess. "I'll contact you, when it's time." She waited while Lonnie and Rath stepped out of the supply closet and into the hall. After they were out of site for several minutes, Tess eased the closet door open and stepped into the hall. She looked around surreptitiously to make sure Max wasn't around and began the long walk through the never-ending hallways of the Stratosphere, back to her room.   
"Oh my God, that was close," Isabelle whispered to Alex. "What are they doing here?"   
  
"I don't know, but we'd better go warn the others, before it's too late," Alex answered. He pulled out a cell phone and punched in a number.   
"Code Blonde," he said. "Meet at Lucky's." He hung up the phone and smiled at Isabelle. "There, that's all set," he said. "Isn't modern technology wonderful?"   
  
"You are such a geek," Isabelle said with a laugh. "A techno loving, mind warping geek. And I'm lucky to have you."   
  
"Come on, Mrs. Whitman," said Alex, holding out his arm to Isabelle. "Please allow me the pleasure of escorting you to Lucky's. The fine purveyor of the world famous BLT."   
Within 20 minutes, the group assembled in a deserted corner of Lucky's Restaurant. They placed their orders and waited for the waitress to depart before Alex and Isabelle began to share their story.   
  
"So then Alex warped them into thinking they had seen you and Tess swimming in the pool," said Isabelle.   
  
"Good job, Alex," said Max. "Your powers are really getting stronger. Unfortunately, Tess and the others are starting to get out of control. We have to figure something out, and fast, before someone gets hurt."   
  
"Max is right," said Liz. "We can't let Tess," she stopped, and grabbed her midsection.   
  
"Liz, what is it, what's the matter?" asked Max. "Is something wrong?   
  
"Wrong, no, nothing's wrong, but I think I just felt our baby kick."


	55. Chapter Fifty Five Back in the Saddle A...

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Fifty-Five Back in the Saddle Again  
  
Right on cue, Jim Valenti walked into the suite and smiled apologetically at Kyle. "Son, I'm sorry," he said. "I just got a call from Hanson, and I'm needed back in Roswell, right away. "  
  
"No problem, Dad," said Kyle. "We know things like that come up. You can head out now, and we'll follow in the limo later on."  
  
"Well, see, the thing is, Amy and I were out really late last night. Actually, we didn't get in until this morning, and I'm really tired. Too tired to drive in fact. I was hoping maybe you wouldn't mind driving us back."  
  
"Oh, yeah, sure, Dad. No problem. After all, you were good enough to do this for us, it's the least I can do for you," Kyle answered.  
  
"Tess? I was hoping you'd come along with us, and spell Kyle on some of the driving. I mean, since we're all going back to the same house and all," he let his voice trail off, but the subtle reminder that she was a guest in his house hung in the air.  
  
"Oh, uh, yeah, sure," Tess answered grudgingly. "Glad to do it."  
  
Tess and Kyle made quick work of gathering their belongings, and Kyle and Jim wheeled the bags out into the hall, while Amy and Tess made a last minute survey to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything."  
  
"Great job, Dad," said Kyle. "You were fantastic in there."  
  
"Why are we doing this again?" asked Jim.  
  
"We just are Dad," said Kyle. "I can't explain it right now, but it's complicated. Just know that we all really needed this trip. Thanks for going along with our plan to get away."  
  
The door to the suite opened, and Amy walked out, smiling romantically at Jim, while Tess trailed along behind her, with a scowl on her face."  
  
"Tell you what," said Jim, as they stepped into the elevator. "I'll get us out of Vegas proper, and then you two kids can take over."  
  
"Great," said Tess, as the elevator door slid shut, shutting her effectively out of Max and Liz's life for several hours.  
  
The door to the suite clicked open softly, and Michael looked into the empty hallway.  
  
"Their gone," he said unnecessarily, to Ava, who stood next to him. "Are you sure you want to do this. I mean, you can ride back with us."  
  
"I'll be fine, Michael. Don't worry. Mind warping Tess is no big deal. She wants to believe that she and Max have this perfect life, so it's not that hard to convince her it's happening."  
  
"I just worry about you,' Michael said, with uncharacteristic emotion in his voice. "I kind of like having you around. You're a great sister."  
  
"And you're a great brother," Ava answered, hugging him briefly. "But my place is with my husband. I'd better get down there before they leave."  
  
"You've got your cell, right?" Michael asked. "If you need me, need anything, you call, right away."  
  
"Yes, Big Brother," she giggled.   
  
Michael walked her to the elevator and waited until she was safely ensconced inside the steel cage. After the elevator began its descent, he turned and walked back into the room.  
  
  
"They're gone," he said. "Ava decided to go with them at the last minute. She didn't want to be separated from Kyle. We've got two hours before the limo picks us up. I say we hit the casinos, and do some serious gambling. I'm still a little short of my goal."  
  
"Sounds like a plan," said Max, while the others nodded their agreement. "Just remember to stick to the plan.  
  
They made their way down to the casino, and split up. Each of them used their powers carefully to win money, but not too much at any table or machine at any one time. At the end of two hours, the group reassembled and waited in the hotel lobby for their limo to arrive.  
  
"We have to do something huge for Kyle and Ava when we get back," said Liz. "Their taking Tess back and giving us some alone time is way above and beyond."  
  
"Oh, and I suppose the hundred grand I just won for them doesn't count?" said Michael.  
  
"I think Liz was talking about something a little more romantic, Space Boy," said Maria, slipping her arm in his. "But the cash is good too," she added, practically.  
  
"Hey, I hate to break this up," said Alex. "But our carriage has arrived."  
  
"Yeah, it's time to leave the bright lights and excitement of beautiful Las Vegas, and head back to boring old Roswell," said Isabelle.  
  
They gathered up their bags, and slipped out of the hotel, and into the hot Nevada sun. The driver helped the guys stow the luggage in the trunk, and one by one, they climbed into the limo, until only Max and Liz were left standing in the desert heat.  
  
"Happy?" asked Max.  
  
"As I'll ever be," said Liz, leaning against him. "Being married to you, and starting our family is a dream come true."  
  
"We'll make it work, Liz," said Max. "Going to school, and having a baby will be hard, but we can do it. We can do anything. I love you Liz Parker Evans, and I always will."   
  
"Paging Mr. and Mrs. Evans," Maria called from the limo. "Mr. and Mrs. Max Evans, get your married asses back into the car with the rest of the newlyweds so we can head back to Roswell!"  
  
Liz pulled herself reluctantly from Max's grasp. "Keep your shirt on, Mrs. Guerin," she joked. "We're coming."  
  
"Are you kidding? I want to get home, so my husband can take it off," came Maria's unexpected ribald comment.  
  
Liz and Max climbed into the limo after one last look around. The driver started the car, and pulled out onto the busy Las Vegas Strip. Two people stepped out from behind a parked shuttle bus, and watched as the limo stopped at a light, before it turned out of sight.  
  
"Well, ain't that just the sweetest thing," said Lonnie, her voice rich with sarcasm.   
  
"Yeah," said Rath. "Queenie may think she's all that, but she ain't nothin but all wrong. We better get ourselves to Roswell fast, before this blows up in our faces."


	56. Chapter 56 It's My Life

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Fifty-Six It's my Life  
  
Tess was walking down the corridor of West Roswell High, when a hand reached out and pulled her into an empty classroom.  
  
"Michael," she cried. "What the hell is your problem?"  
  
"What the hell is YOUR problem, Queenie?" Rath demanded. "I thought you said you had the king under control?"  
  
"Rath?" she asked. "What are you doing here? I thought I told you to go back to New York, and wait until you heard from me. You're going to ruin everything if anybody sees you."  
  
"Too late, Queenie, I'd say everything is ruined already. You screwed up, now me and Lonnie gotta do, whaddya call it, damage control.  
  
He filled Tess in on what he and Lonnie had heard and seen in Las Vegas. Tess listened, her eyes glittering with rage.  
  
"So the King's already got a bride. Where's that leave you? Out in the cold is my guess."  
  
"It's okay, Rath," she said. "Believe it or not, it's all part of my plan. I'm lulling them into a false sense of security. That way, when we do leave, and take Max with us, Liz will be totally destroyed," Tess improvised, wildly.  
  
"Yeah," said Rath, his voice ripe with scorn. "What about the others? They're all hooked up too."  
  
"Well, we can't leave Michael and Isabelle here to try and find a way to rescue Max after we go back to Antar. We'll kill them. Actually," she continued, "We'll kill them all; all except for Liz. I want to leave her alive to suffer. She'll be totally destroyed, knowing that her friends are dead, and Max is gone."  
  
"Queenie, you are whacked. Completely and totally whacked. You have lost control of the situation," said Rath. "I'm takin over before this problem gets any worse."  
  
"Rath, listen to me!" yelled Tess. "I can handle this. I am in control. You just have to trust me."  
  
"Don't try your freakin Jedi mind tricks on me, bitch. I can feel you pushin at my mind. It ain't gonna work this time."  
  
"Rath, I said I have it under control," Tess shouted. Rath fell to the floor, screaming, with his arms wrapped around his head.  
  
"What the hell are you doin to me, you bitch?"  
  
"I can handle this situation," she shouted.  
  
"Yeah, you're right," Rath said suddenly, from the floor. "Yuse got it under control. Hey, what the frig am I doin on the floor?" he asked weakly.  
  
"You tripped," said Tess, calmly. "Now, you better get out of here. You and Lonnie can stick around, but you better stay out of sight. "  
  
"Yeah, me and Lonnie are gonna stick around the Tumbleweed Motel, until you need us," said Rath.  
  
"That's right," said Tess, trying to make her voice soothing, and failing. "You go back to the motel with Lonnie, and stay out of sight.   
  
Tess stormed out of the room, her face set with anger, followed a few minutes later by Rath, who walked down the hall, oblivious to the blood that was streaming down his face.  
  
  
Ava waited a few minutes, shaken by what she had just heard. She was supposed to see Kyle for lunch, but when she saw Michael, walking through the halls, she couldn't resist the opportunity to sneak up and try and scare him.  
  
She followed him into a deserted classroom, and was just about to grab at him, when she stopped suddenly, sensing that something wasn't right. She crouched down behind the teacher's desk, and used her powers to make a small black dog appear in the room.  
  
"Get the hell outta here, ya freakin mutt," said the Michael look a like.   
  
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ava was positive it was Rath, and not Michael that stood in the room. She made the image of the dog run out into the hallway, and Rath followed to make sure it was gone. Suddenly, he stiffened, and reached out, and dragged an angry Tess into the classroom. Ava slid herself deeper under the kneehole of the desk, and tried to stay as quiet as possible. She listened with growing horror and dread as she realized that Rath, and now Tess, knew about Max and Liz, and the others.  
  
She waited until she heard Tess, and then Rath leave, before she slid herself out from underneath the desk. She sat there in a panic for a few minutes, while she tried to think about what to do. She reached up and touched her hair, and it grew down to the middle of her back and changed to an inky black color. She changed her eye color to a rich chocolate brown. When the bell rang to signal the end of classes, she slipped out into the hall to join the swirling maelstrom of students on their way to their next class.   
  
She found Maria first, and quietly told her that Rath was back. Maria's face blanched, and she muttered, "I killed him once, and I'll do it again! Come on Ava, we have to find the others."  
  
They managed to track down everybody, and they squeezed into the eraser room to talk. Max sat next to Liz, with his arms wrapped protectively around her.  
  
"That's it," Max said. "We need to stop her. I hate that it's come to this, but she's dangerous now. She's threatening to kill all of you."  
  
"No, she's threatening to kill all of them," Liz said bitterly. "She's going to force you to go back to Antar, and leave me here to suffer."  
  
"Liz, don't," said Michael. "She's not worth the anger you are letting yourself feel."  
  
Everyone stopped and looked at Michael in amazement.  
  
"What?" he questioned. "I can't have a sensitive side?"  
  
"Not as a rule, Space Boy," said Maria. "But hey, I'm not going to complain. My question is what are we going to do. I mean, none of us are out and out killers, and that's what it's coming to. Either we kill them, or they kill us."  
  
"Not necessarily," said Alex. "The granolith can be used to send them back to Antar, but if we do that, it means that you guys can never leave. You'll be stuck here, forever."  
  
"I wouldn't leave," said Max, hugging Liz closer to him. "Ever."  
  
"Me either," said Michael. "All this time, I've been looking for home, and I finally found it. Maria is my home."  
  
"I agree," said Isabelle. "Well, except for the part about Maria, of course. I can't imagine being anywhere else but with Alex. This is where I belong."  
  
"Well, I'm sure not goin anywhere," said Ava, slipping back into her New York way of speaking. "But how we gonna get them to do what we want."  
  
The others tossed around ideas, discarding this one and that, until Alex spoke up.  
  
"I have a plan. I'm going to die."


	57. Chapter Fifty Seven This Could Be the N...

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Fifty-Seven This Could be the Night  
  
"I wish I could give you the prom night you deserve, Liz," Max said. "You deserve the whole thing, limo, corsage, romance, and watching the sun rise over the desert. Instead, I'm going to have to end the night with Tess."  
  
"It's no big deal, Max. We are going to have the rest of our lives together. One night doesn't make a difference," said Liz.  
  
  
"You're right," said Max. "I just hope that this works. Alex's plan is kind of risky. I'm not afraid to say, I'm worried. There are too many things that can go wrong."  
  
"This coming from the man who's plan to get us to Vegas included a mythical essay writing contest won by Kyle Valenti," said Liz, her voice uncharacteristically sunny.  
  
"Well, it worked," said Max, defensively.  
  
"Don't ask me how," said Liz, rolling her eyes. "Anyhow, Alex's plan is going to work."  
  
  
"No, no way," said Michael, staring at Maria. "There is no way I am going to shell out money like that for a stupid dance. Besides, Tess thinks we're not together anymore, remember."  
  
"Michael, you have over half a million dollars in the stupid bank," Maria hissed. "Besides, we could always say we were going as friends, like Max and Liz are doing. Anyhow, who cares what that evil mindwarpping hell beast thinks anyhow?"  
  
"I said no, and I mean no, Maria. There is no way I'm going to any stupid prom," Michael said, as he passed the galaxy burger through the pick up window.  
  
"I wonder how hard it is to get an Antarian divorce," Maria muttered. She glared at Michael, and grabbed the burger off the window, and bumped into Liz, who was carrying a tray of glasses. The tray fell out of Liz's hands and crashed to the floor. The shattered glass danced across the floor. Liz looked at Maria, but instead of laughing, she burst into tears, and ran from the café. Maria shot a worried look at Michael, and he left the grill, and took off after Liz, leaving Maria to pick up the shattered pieces of glass.  
  
"Typical," muttered Maria. "Leaves me here to do the dirty work. I swear if I didn't love him so much, I'd kill him."  
  
"Kill who, Maria?" a voice. Maria looked up from the floor, to see Tess, leaning over the counter, smiling at her.  
  
"Oh, hi, Tess," Maria said, her voice flat. "What's up?"  
  
"I asked who you wanted to kill?" answered the other girl.  
  
"Oh, the bus boy," Maria said, vaguely. "Mess duty is his job, but he's nowhere to be found.  
  
"What happened, anyhow?" asked Tess.  
  
"Oh, I bumped into Liz, and she dropped a tray of glasses, that's all."  
  
"Well, I would think she should clean up her own mess," said Tess, concentrating on Maria.  
  
"Oh, uh, she uh, cut herself, so uh, Michael's helping her bandage her hand."  
  
"Are you sure that's all their doing?" Tess asked. She focused on Maria and gave a shove with her mind. Maria felt Tess trying to mind warp her, and she panicked for a moment.  
  
Settle down Deluca, she said to herself. You can do this.  
  
"Yeah, you'd think she'd help," said Maria. "But she's a selfish little witch. I swear, every time Michael and I even come close to getting back together, she's right there doing whatever she can to come between us. I wouldn't put it past her to have cut herself intentionally to have him come to her rescue."  
  
"You're probably right," said Tess, with a smile. "I'll see you later," she added.  
  
Maria watched as the girl crossed the café, with a self-satisfied smile on her face.  
  
"Agnes," Maria bellowed as soon as Tess was out of sight. "I'm going on a break, cover for me."  
  
She didn't wait to hear what the older woman had to say, she just ran out back to where Liz was with Michael.  
  
  
"Liz, are you alright?" Maria asked as she raced in the room. She paused, shaken to see Liz wrapped in Michael's arms. She shook her head, trying to dislodge the images that Tess had tried to implant.  
  
"Yeah, no, I don't know," said Liz, her voice thick with tears.  
  
"Lizzie, honey, what's wrong?" asked Nancy Parker, coming into the room, her arms full of grocery bags.  
  
"I-I'm fine, Mom," sniffed Liz. "Don't worry about it."  
  
"Of course I worry about it, Sweetie," said Nancy, passing the grocery bags to Maria. "Maria, why don't you put those upstairs for me, and Michael, I'm sure you have something you're supposed to be doing. I'll take care of Liz."  
  
"Sure thing, Mrs. P," said Michael. He shot a worried glance, first at Maria, then Liz, before heading back to the grill.   
  
"No problem, Mrs. Parker," answered Maria. "Do you have anything in here that needs to be put away right away?" she asked, stalling for time.  
  
"No, that's okay, Maria, thanks. Just bring them upstairs and go back to the café. Poor Agnes is just about to have a breakdown out there."  
  
Maria took the bags and began to walk slowly up the stairs to the Parker apartment.  
  
"Liz, Sweetie, tell me what's wrong," she heard Nancy Parker say. "Talk to me, honey."  
  
"It's nothing, Mom," said Liz. "I'm just overreacting to some stuff, that's all."  
  
"What stuff?" asked Nancy. "Liz, you're not pregnant, are you?"  
  
Maria stifled a gasp, and tried not to let the grocery bags fall out of her arms. She pushed the door to the Parker's apartment open and dashed in and dropped the bags on the table. She grabbed her cell phone and called Michael.  
  
"Get Mrs. Parker out of there, right now," she whispered, as soon as Michael answered. "I don't care how, but do it, now." She disconnected the call, and ran down the stairs, back to the employee lounge.  
  
"All set, Mrs. Parker," she said, cheerfully. "Anything else you need done?"  
  
"No, thank you Maria. Why don't you go help Agnes now."  
  
"Um, excuse me, Mrs. Parker, but Sheriff Valenti would like to speak to you," said Michael.  
  
"Fine, I'll be right there. Liz, you wait right here, okay?"  
  
"Yes, Mom," sniffed Liz.  
  
Nancy left the room, and Maria sat down next to Liz.  
  
"Chica, you didn't tell her, did you?"  
  
"Jesus, Maria, do I look stupid?" snapped Liz. "Of course I didn't tell her. I told her I was upset about Max and I breaking up, but going to the prom as friends. God, Maria, give me some credit for thinking on my feet."  
  
Maria recoiled at the venom in her friend's voice.  
  
"Liz, what is wrong with you? You're acting, well, your acting like Tess or something."  
  
"Thanks Maria, that's just what I need to hear," said Liz. "Something is wrong, but I don't have a clue what it is."  
  
"Look, I don't have a clue either, but your acting like Mary Poppins on Prozac or something. Why don't we head out to the granolith and try and contact Che'koth. Maybe you're just going through an alien mood swing or something?"  
  
"Yeah, right, and what's Senor Hologram going to do, give me a holographic pill to heal it?" snapped Liz.  
  
"Well, it beats the human slap on the face I want to give you," said Maria, finally losing her patience. "Look, if you decide you want to go, give me a call, otherwise, stay out of my face."  
  
Maria turned and walked back into the café, and Liz ran upstairs. Neither one of them noticed Tess, watching them through the open window.  
  
  
  



	58. Chapter Fifty Eight Holding out for ...

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R

[b]Author's Note[/b]  I'm updating as quick as possible, and while I appreciate the fact that it isn't as fact as people would like, I am doing my best.  There is an annoying and pesky thing called Real Life that keeps getting in my way.  So thanks to everyone who is reading, and hang in there, this fic won't be abandoned, and it will be finished, someday.  In the mean time, here is another update for all of you, I hope you like it. ~ Majiklmoon  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Fifty-Eight Holding Out For a Hero  
  
Maria climbed out of the Jetta and walked across the desert floor to the sandstone outcropping that hid the granolith. She passed a hand over the "lock" embedded in the rock, and the door slid open. She paused for a minute before she entered, enjoying the fact that she used her powers to open the door. She didn't need Michael, or Max or Isabelle. She, Maria Delucca Guerin did it herself.  
  
"Hey, Che'koth," she yelled when she was securely locked inside the Granolith chamber. "Beam your ass down here, or whatever it is you do. I need to talk to you!"  
  
She waited for several minutes, but nothing happened. "Stupid alien technology," she said. "Can't even make a stupid collect call or whatever." She waited a few minutes more, then sighed when she realized nothing was going to happen. She slipped out of the granolith chamber, and stopped to look at the pod that had at one time housed her husband. Suddenly, Maria gasped, and looked wildly about the chamber. She ran, and quickly wedged herself in behind the pods, and tried to calm her breathing. The chamber door slid open, and Rath, Tess and Lonnie walked in. Maria gasped softly and tried to remain calm. If she was lucky, they wouldn't see where she parked her car behind the boulders. If they did see it, well, she killed Rath once, and she wasn't opposed to doing it again if necessary.   
  
"Why'd you bring us here, Queenie?" Rath asked, looking around the pod chamber.  
  
"Because we need to talk, and this place is as safe as any," said Tess. "Max never comes out here, he's always so afraid the FBI and the Special Unit are tailing him. Stupid fool! He hasn't figured out yet that there is NO Special Unit, and the FBI could care less about a bunch of kids from Roswell. It's been me, all along. He is so easy to manipulate, it isn't even funny."  
  
"Yeah, you da bomb, Queenie," said Rath. Now when can me you and Lonnie get the hell out of this Mayberry town and go back to Antar?"  
  
"Yeah, Tess, I wanna get the hell outta here," said Lonnie. She leaned against the pod chamber and examined her nails. "You, me and Rath, we're better than this corn pone town. It's pure Hicksville."  
  
"Don't worry," said Tess, "And don't rush me. They thought they could fool me, but I've got them right where I want them. After what I found out today, things couldn't be better. If Max won't go with us to Antar, that's fine. He can stay here and rot in this frigging town. We don't need him anymore. We can get something better. Now, I want you two to keep low for a while. No surprise visits as school. Just stick by the Tumbleweed. Things are going to start to happen now, and I don't need you messing things up."  
  
"Sure thing, Queenie. You're the boss, after all. If we wanna go out on the town, it won't be in Roswell. Not that you got much of a town here anyhow," said Rath.  
  
"And don't you forget it," said Tess.  
  
"Like you'd ever let us," Lonnie muttered as the trio prepared to exit the chamber.  
  
"That's right," Tess snapped. "I am in charge, and I won't let you forget it. Someone has to be in charge, and I'm the Queen. Don't you ever forget that!"   
  
Maria peered out from behind the pod chamber and saw Tess, wrinkle up her face, like she was concentrating intently. Lonnie gave a low moan and clutched her head.  
  
"You okay?" Rath asked as the door slid open and filled the chamber with hot desert air.  
  
"Yeah, just a pain in my head. Nothin a few beers won't take care of."  
  
"There's a couple of places in the next town," Tess said, solicitously. "Why don't you try one of them?"  
  
"Yeah, great idea, Queenie," said Lonnie. "We wouldn't want anyone to see us or nuthin."  
  
"I'm glad you are cooperating with me," said Tess. "It's better for all of us if you do. Now, let's get out of here. I hate this place. Every time I come here, it reminds me of how they left me here. They left without me. I would have come out of the pod too, I know it!" Tess' voice trailed off as she looked at the pod chamber. Maria tried to squeeze herself into a smaller ball. After one last look, Tess followed Rath and Lonnie out into the hot desert.  
  
Maria waited for what seemed like hours before she climbed out from her hiding spot. She used her powers to open the door to the chamber, and looked cautiously around before she ran for her car and headed back to town.  
  
  
As Maria drove back to town, she was unaware of the drama that was playing out with the rest of the pod squad and their partners.  
  
"Damn it, Alex, I don't want you doing this, it's too risky!" shouted Isabelle.  
  
"You know what Iz, it's not up to you. I think it's a good plan, and nothing, and nobody," he glared at her, "Is going to change my mind."  
  
"Alex, you can't do it," Isabelle said again. "You're going to get hurt."  
  
"It isn't your call Isabelle, it's mine! I'll do what I damn well please!"  
  
Alex gathered up his books, and stormed out of the library, while Isabelle glared after him, her expression a confusion of hurt and anger.  
  
  
Across town, at the Evans household, Max and Michael were having a violent argument as well.  
  
"Maxwell, we can't sit around and wait for something to happen?" Michael yelled. "Something is happening. Liz fell apart today. I mean, she totally lost it, and you weren't there to help her. You were too busy chasing after Tess."  
  
"Leave Liz out of it," Max said, trying to remain calm. "She knows what I'm doing and why."  
  
"Don't be to sure," said Michael. "She was a mess today. She cried in my arms for a long time."  
  
"I said 'leave my wife alone, Michael.' She doesn't need you to comfort her, she has me. I'm her husband, not you."  
  
"Yeah, well maybe you'd better start acting like it before you loser her," said Michael. He grabbed his motorcycle helmet and stormed out of the Evans house and climbed on his bike. Without giving it much thought, he drove out into the desert towards the pod chamber. He say Tess and the dupes whiz by in her car, but didn't give it any thought, until he spied Maria, running out of the pod chamber, to her car.


	59. Chapter Fifty Nine Take it to the Lim...

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Fifty-Nine Take it to the Limit  
  
Michael turned the bike around and followed Maria down the highway. He watched in amazement as the faded red paint changed to a sharp metallic blue. He accelerated the motorcycle and pulled up along side Maria. He looked in the window, to tell her to move over, but was silenced as he watched her shorten her blond locks and change their color to black. Finally he lifted the visor on his helmet and motioned for her to pull over.  
  
"Maria, are you okay?" he shouted, over the bike engine. He killed the motor and jumped off and ran over to her car. "Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?"  
  
"Wait, slow up Space Boy," Maria said through the open window of her car. "I'm fine, and no they didn't hurt me. I tried to contact Che'koth, and I was just getting ready to leave when Larry, Moe and Curly showed up. I hid behind the pod chambers until they left."  
  
"Are you sure they didn't hurt you?" Michael demanded.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure, now will you shut up and listen to me. Tess is up to something."  
  
"That is not news, Maria. We know she's up to something."  
  
"No, more than that. To start with, there is no Special Unit, and there was no Agent Pierce. That was all a creation of Nescedo and Tess."  
  
"What? You mean the hell they put us through last year wasn't real? Well, why didn't we remember that it was fake the way we remembered that the whole message from Max's mother was fake."  
  
"Do I look like the alien version of the Shell Answer Man, Michael? I already had questions, which is why I was at the pod chamber. Not only did I not get any answers, I got more questions. Apparently, Tess's plan was to take Max and those other two sub defectives and go back to Antar. Now she's decided that she doesn't need Max, she has something better. I just can't figure out what it is."  
  
"What did you go out to the pod chamber for?" asked Michael.  
  
"I told you, I had some questions, and I wanted to see if Che'koth could answer them. But apparently, he isn't home, and he forgot to turn on the alien answering machine, so I couldn't leave a message."  
  
"Maybe if we go back and try together," said Michael.  
  
"No, I was going to follow Tess and see if I could get a handle on what she's planning," said Maria.  
  
"Yeah, that's the impression I got when you did the presto chango paint job on the car," laughed Michael. "And the hair – good look for you."  
  
"Shut up, Michael," fumed Maria. "It was all I could think of."  
  
"It was good, Maria. I was just trying to be funny. What did you want to ask Che'koth about?" Michael asked.  
  
"We're falling apart. Liz is losing her mind, and you and I, all we do is fight," said Maria, her eyes filling with tears.  
  
Michael gathered her into his arms and held her tightly. "Maria, all we ever do is fight. There's nothing abnormal about that."  
  
"It's not our regular fighting, Michael, and it scares me."  
  
"Look, if it means that much to you, I'll go to the stupid prom, but I really think to make it look good, we need to keep arguing about it. Nobody is going to believe that I changed my mind."  
  
"Thank you, Michael," Maria said softly. "It really is important to me."  
  
"I know. I'm sorry I was such a jerk about it. I've just felt completely weird since we got back from Vegas. It's like there is an invisible steel band wrapped around my head, pressing all the time," he explained.  
  
"That's how I've been feeling," Maria said, slowly. "Kind of like you are under all this pressure, and nothing you do is going to help you?"  
  
"Yeah, exactly," said Michael. "And I swear, Max is going through the same thing, even if he won't admit it. I tried to tell him about Liz falling apart, and he freaked. Kept screaming at me to leave Liz alone, saying he was her husband, and she didn't need any help from me. It was strange."  
  
"Yeah, and Liz was like a total freakazoid today," said Maria. "I don't know if it's alien mood swings or what, but she is just too hard to deal with."  
  
Michael laced his fingers through Maria's and kissed her deeply. "We'll figure it out," he said. "Maybe we all just need a vacation or something."  
  
"We just had a vacation," said Maria, twisting the platinum ring that Michael always wore. "Vegas, remember? Michael," she said, suddenly changing gears. "When did you get a new ring?"  
  
"I didn't," said Michael. "This is the same ring as always. Platinum, blocks against mind warps, remember?"  
  
"Yeah, I remember, but this isn't that ring."  
  
"What are you talking about?" asked Michael. "I never take it off, so how can it not be the same ring."  
  
"You never take it off?" asked Maria. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure, Maria. Do I look stupid or," his voice trailed off. "Right after we got back from Vegas, Max and I did a ring job on the jeep. I never wear my ring when I work on engines. It's dangerous. Max had his off too, and so did Kyle. We were working on the jeep at his house."  
  
"And Tess just swept in and copied them, and substituted them with non-platinum bands," continued Maria. "I wonder if she did the same thing to Isabelle, Liz and me?"  
  
"It wouldn't surprise me," said Michael. "But how did she figure it out? Come to think of it," he continued. "How did you figure it out? It looks like the exact same ring to me."  
  
"Yours had a small nick on one edge," said Maria. "I always feel it when I play with your ring. I didn't feel it this time."  
  
Michael just stared at her and shook his head in amazement. "Did anyone ever tell you that you are incredible?"


	60. Chapter Sixty Somebody's Eyes are Watc...

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Sixty Somebody's Eyes are Watching  
  
The group that met at Michael's was tense and angry. People sat around the room and stared at each other, while the Chinese food on the table grew cold.  
  
"I don't believe it," said Liz. "You're lying. It isn't happening. You're making it up."  
  
"No, she's not making it up, Liz," Michael said.   
  
"This can't be happening," said Max. He stood up and started pacing around the crowded room.  
  
"Face it, Max, it is," said Michael. "Whether you want to believe it, or not, Tess is on to us, and she's messing with our heads in a bad way."  
  
"That's crap," said Alex. "We'd know. I'd know."  
  
Maria threw her hands up and took a sip from her diet soda. "I give up," she said. "Nothing is going to make you guys believe us, so I guess we just have to show you." She put her soda down on the table and reached into her bag, and withdrew a handful of jewelry, and passed it to the others. "Here, put these on," she said.  
  
The group grumbled, but put on the various rings, bracelets and earrings. After several minutes, they could feel the anger and resentment lifting from the room. It was as if someone had come in, and lifted the blinds or something.  
  
"What just happened?" asked Isabelle.  
  
"I don't know, but I feel it too," said Kyle.  
  
"It was Tess," said Michael. "Somehow, she found out about the platinum, and switched out stuff with duplicates that she made."  
  
"Well, why aren't we remembering things, like we did the first time we put the platinum on?" asked Liz.  
  
"I don't think she's operating the same way," said Michael. "She wasn't filling our mind with false images. This time, she was just filling our minds with feelings of discontent and anger."  
  
"And it worked too," said Max. "Michael, I was so royally pissed at you earlier today, and all you were doing is being a friend to both me and Liz. Part of me knew I was over-reacting, but there wasn't anything I could do about it. I was powerless to stop myself from saying those things."  
  
"Yeah, well, it's thanks to Maria that we even know what's going on. She and I may have kept right on fighting if I hadn't seen her following the sub-defectives back from the Granolith."  
  
"Yeah, what were you doing out there anyhow, Maria?" Liz asked, her voice belligerent.   
  
"I went out there to contact Che'koth," Maria said, cautiously. "I had some questions, and I figured he'd have the answers."  
  
"Questions about what?" snapped Liz. "Questions about your powers, or questions about Michael, or what, questions about me, maybe?"  
  
Maria shrank back into the couch, unprepared for the verbal assault from Liz.  
  
"What does it matter, Liz," she said, quietly. "I just wanted to talk to Che'koth, that's all."  
  
Unexpectedly, Liz burst into tears. She buried her face in her hands and cried. "I can't do this anymore, I just can't,' she sobbed. "I am so sick of all the pressure, and the deceptions. It just isn't worth it."  
  
"Liz, sweetie, relax," said Max, rubbing her back ineffectually.  
  
"Relax!" she exploded "How the hell do you expect me to relax? Not only am I a high school student, married to the king of an alien race, I'm pregnant. And I can't even tell anyone about it, because we don't know what this baby is going to look like. It could be green, with three eyes and antennas sticking out of its head for all I know. Wouldn't you just love to see the ultrasound on that?"  
  
Max didn't say anything; he just slumped against the couch, and stared at Liz, his face a mask of hurt and confusion.  
  
"Jesus, Liz, what the hell is your problem?" snapped Isabelle. "Don't you think we're all worried about you? As a matter of fact, we're all terrified, but your to busy feeling sorry for yourself to see that. Did it ever even occur to you that was the reason Maria went to try and contact Che'koth? No, the only thing you can think about is YOU!"  
  
"Isabelle, leave her alone," said Alex. "You can't have any idea what Liz is feeling or going through right now, and your shouting at her isn't going to help the situation!"  
  
"Stay out of it Alex," snapped Liz, lifting her tear stained face from her hands. "I don't need you to defend me. I'm perfectly capable of fighting my own battles."  
  
A blast of light filled the room, and the tacky bowling pin lap that Michael had sitting on an end table exploded into a million pieces.  
  
"Stop it, all of you!" shouted Ava. "I don't know what the problem is, but this is not going to solve it. I think we should all go to the Granolith chamber now, together and try and contact Che'koth. I think we all have questions, and he's the one who's going to have the answers."  
  
"Fine," said Liz. She stood up and grabbed her bag. "Let's get out of here, and get this over with." She walked across the room and opened the door. The force of it caused it to slam into the wall, putting a hole in it.  
  
"Liz?" Max asked, tentatively. "Are you…what just happened?"  
  
"I don' know," she replied, her voice laced with concern. "I just pulled the door open. I didn't use my powers or anything. God, Michael, I'm sorry, I'll pay for the damages. I so didn't mean for that to happen."  
  
"Don't sweat it," Michael answered. "I'll fix it myself." He passed his hand over the hole in the wall, and the wallboard repaired itself. "How the hell did you do that?" he asked. "I've slammed that door plenty of times, and that's never happened."  
  
"I don't know. I just want to get out of here," said Liz. She walked out the door, and stepped into the parking lot of Michael's apartment house, followed closely by the others. She stopped and looked at the others, her expression puzzled. "Do you feel that?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, I think I do," said Kyle. "It's kind of like when you have a bad headache, and the aspirin finally works. You can feel the pressure lifting off of you."  
  
"No," said Alex. "It's like when you've had the flu. One day you wake up, and you feel, not better, but not sick."  
  
"Yeah," said Maria. "Don't you feel it, Michael?"  
  
"Sorry, Maria. I don't have a clue what you're talking about," said Michael. "How about you guys?"   
  
One by one, Max, Isabelle and Ava shook their heads.  
  
"This is getting very strange," said Max. "Let's go see if we can get some answers."  
  



	61. Chapter Sixty One SOS

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Sixty-One – SOS  
  
The eight of them entered the pod chamber, and climbed back into the chamber that hid the Granolith. Wordlessly, they moved into their four square pattern and looked at the Granolith. They were not disappointed. The Granolith began to glow, and filled the room with light, and a soft humming sound filled the room. After several minutes, Che'koth's image appeared before them.  
  
"Greetings, My Liege," said Che'koth, bowing down before Max.  
  
"Will you get over that royalty stuff," said Max. "We have a lot of questions, and we need answers."  
  
"Certainly, Your Highness."  
  
"Look, just call me Max. I'm nobody's king."  
  
"As you wish, Max. What questions may I answer for you?"  
  
"Me first," Maria said. "I came here yesterday, because I had some questions. Why couldn't I contact you to answer them?"  
  
"The Granolith is programmed to be activated when it senses the signals of all of you," replied Che'koth.  
  
"Can that be changed?" asked Michael. "There may be times where we need you, but we can't all be here."  
  
"Certainly, we can modify the programming to activate when only one, or all of you are here."  
  
"Great," said Max. "That makes all of us feel a bit more secure."  
  
"I have a question," said Liz. "What's wrong with me?"  
  
"Could you be more specific, Your Majesty? A biological scan done by the Granolith when you came in showed no abnormalities."  
  
"What is inside of me? I mean, I know it's a baby, but is it human, or is it going to look," her voice trailed off.  
  
"The child is human," Che'koth replied. "It will have human physical characteristics."  
  
"Thank God," Liz whispered. "One more question, if you please. How is this pregnancy affecting my body? I mean, will the baby grow and develop like a traditional Earth pregnancy, and will my body experience the same changes?"  
  
"Yes, this baby will develop in the way that is normal here on Earth. You should begin, I believe the word is showing, any time. You must work to develop your masking talents if you wish to keep your condition hidden."  
  
"Masking?" asked Max, puzzled. "Oh, you mean mind warping. Can Liz do that?"  
  
"You all have the same abilities," said Che'koth. "Some are more developed than others, but the potential is there."  
  
"What nobody is asking," interrupted Isabelle, "Is about Liz's insane, psycho mood swings. Are those normal too?"  
  
"Mood swings?" questioned Che'koth.  
  
"Yeah, you know, happy one second evil bitch monster of death the next," Maria said.  
  
"No, actually, it isn't at all normal," said Che'koth. "The traditional illnesses associated with pregnancy are no longer a part of our world. They have been eliminated due to evolution. And while they are a part of this world, any symptoms you experience should not be as severe as that of a typical Earth pregnancy."  
  
"What about after we left Michael's apartment?" asked Kyle. "We all felt a change happen in our bodies, but the others didn't. Could that have something to do with it?"  
  
"Explain!" demanded Che'koth, sharply. "What change are you referring too?"  
  
Kyle, Maria, Liz and Alex each took turns trying to explain the changes their bodies felt when they left Michael's apartment. When they finished, Che'koth questioned Max, Isabelle, Ava and Michael.  
  
"And you say none of you, none at all, felt the changes the others spoke of?" he queried.  
  
"No, none of us," said Max. "But one other peculiar thing did occur. Liz almost put Michael's door through the wall when she opened it."  
  
"That's right," said Liz. "I forgot about that. Actually, I didn't," she amended. "I just didn't think it was important."  
  
"Everything is important, Your Majesty," chastised Che'koth. "You cannot leave out any detail, no matter how insignificant."  
  
"Well, then, maybe I should say something," said Ava. "When I blew up the lamp, that wasn't what I was going for. I just wanted to use my powers to lift it up and bang it on the table to get everyone's attention."  
  
The Granolith began to hum, and a red light flashed, filling the room with a brief, yet eerie glow.   
  
"Look in the Granolith," commanded Che'koth. "Do you see something?"  
  
"Yes," said Max. There is something floating inside."  
  
"Reach up and take it," said Che'koth. "In it you will find four bejginm. Each one of the Royal Four must carry one on their person at all time."  
  
"What is a bejginm?" asked Max.  
  
"Take them out of the Granolith, Majesty," said Che'koth, and then I shall explain.  
  
Max reached up into the Granolith and removed the package. On it was the same symbol that was on the communicator orbs. Max passed his hand over the symbol, and the package glowed with a purple silver light before it opened. Inside, he found four objects that were similar to wristwatches.  
  
"Take them, and wear them," said Che'koth. "They will scan for a device called a duch'makah that is used to amplify powers. "If such a device is found, the bejginm will deactivate it."   
  
"You think someone is using this duch'makah?" asked Alex.  
  
"Yes, I do," said Che'koth. "That is what you felt. Or rather, what was causing what you called the Queen's mood swings, and the amplification in powers. We can only surmise that while your physiology is changing and evolving, you have still not evolved enough to NOT be disturbed by the energy emitted by the duch'makah. We use them frequently on Antar to help amplify our powers, so our systems are used to the energy. In time, your bodies will also adapt to the energy they emit, but right now, they are causing you physical discomfit."  
  
"So, you're telling me, that Tess, or Rath and Lonnie planted these duch'makah things around?" asked Max. "Why? I mean, if they amplify powers wouldn't they amplify ours as well?"  
  
"Yes, but since you didn't know about their existence before now," explained Che'koth, "You wouldn't know to consciously use them. Tess, on the other hand, was probably using them to amplify her masking ability."  
  
"Right," said Max. "That makes sense. But now that we know that they are here, can't we use them to amplify our powers to work against Tess?"  
  
"You can," said Che'koth. "And that is where the bejginm will help you. They will block the effect of the duch'makah on you, as long as you wear them."  
  
"But what about us?" asked Kyle. "Shouldn't we have them, too?"  
  
"If you need them, come back, and we will send more down," said Che'koth. "I think, however, that since you can physically feel the effects of the duch'makah, you will also be able to block it without the aid of the bejginm."  
  
"There is one thing that none of you have thought of," said Liz. "Where did Tess get these duch'makah thingys?"  
  
"I'm not sure," admitted Che'koth. "There is a possibility that one of the protectors brought them when you fled Antar."  
  
"Or, she's working with someone else," said Max, his voice hard with the sharp edge of anger.  
  
They all looked at one another, and each of them could feel their stomachs sinking at the thought of another enemy to fight.  
  
"And if she has these duch'makah's," Max continued. "What else does she have to use against us?"


	62. Chapter Sixty Two Under Tow

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Love Changes Everything  
  
Chapter Sixty-Two Undertow  
  
"I can't do it," wailed Liz. "No matter how hard I try, I can't to it."  
  
"Just relax, Liz," Ava said. "You're trying to hard. Think for a second. When you use your powers, what are you doing? How are you feeling?"  
  
"That's just it, I don't know," Liz cried, her voice filled with exasperation. I just do it."  
  
"And you can just mind warp, we just have to find the trigger that will wake up your ability."  
  
"Ava?"  
  
"Liz?"  
  
"Are you upset about tonight?" Liz asked, referring to the Prom.  
  
"Maybe a little, but I get why Kyle has to take her. I may not like it, but I get it."  
  
"How would you like to come with us?" Liz asked, her eyes shining with a mischievous light.  
  
"How?" asked Ava.  
  
"Well, I was talking with Alex, and he got his parents to help. We came up with a story about how Kyle asked Tess because nobody else had, and he felt sorry for her, but then he met you," said Liz.  
  
"And, this is going to get me to the Prom, how?" queried Ava.  
  
"Well, anyhow, Alex explained all this to his parents, and said how Kyle didn't want to hurt Tess by breaking the date, but how he really wanted to have you there and dance with you and stuff. Ava, Alex was incredible. He told this sad story about how you and Kyle met at a basketball game this winter, and you were a cheerleader for the opposing team."  
  
"Me, a cheerleader. I so think not," snorted Ava. "I'm not the rah rah sis boom bah type."  
  
"Shut up, you will be tonight," laughed Liz. "Anyhow, he made it all sound so sad and romantic. His mother came up with a suggestion. You are going to be her niece, visiting from out of town."  
  
"I guess I'm missing the big picture, here," said Ava.  
  
"Yeah, I guess," said Liz. "You are going to accompany Alex and Isabelle to the prom, and sit with all of us, and we'll figure out some way for you and Kyle to dance together."  
  
"There is one problem with all of this," said Ava. "Aren't you and Kyle supposed to be together? Remember, we had her convinced of that."  
  
"Yeah, but he told her I dumped him right after we got back from Vegas. That's how he got her to go to the Prom with him. That and the fact that Max told her he and I were going together as friends."  
  
"You are really devious, Liz Parker, did you know that? If you weren't my friend, I'd be really afraid of you," Ava said.  
  
"I always knew you were smart," joked Liz. "Now, we have to find you something to wear. Maria sent over a bunch of stuff, and I've got some stuff, and if we can't find anything here, we can still go shopping. There are a couple of hours left before we have to get ready."  
  
Ava reached out and hugged Liz. "Thank you," she said. "I only wish you could get the prom night you deserve."  
  
"Don't worry about me," Liz said, bravely, her words doing little to hide the pain that was in her eyes. "Max and I have the rest of our lives to spend together, and, we have a part of this prom as well."  
  
  
  
"Come on, everybody, squeeze together," Amy DeLuca cried. "I want to get a picture. You too Michael," she called.  
  
The group squeezed together in their prom finery and smiled. Michael came out of the kitchen of the CrashDown into the main eating area.  
  
"This is stupid," he said, his voice sullen.  
  
"Move closer to Maria," Amy directed. Michael moved closer, and surreptitiously squeezed her arm.  
  
"There, that's perfect," said Amy.  
  
"Wait!" shouted Alex. "We forgot my cousin. Emma, come on over here."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," Amy said. "Of course, squeeze right in there."  
  
"Actually, Mrs. Deluca, I think it would look more balanced if she stood on the other side of Kyle," Isabelle directed.  
  
"You are right, Isabelle," agreed Amy. "You have such a good eye for those things. Okay, ready everybody? Say 'Cheese'."  
  
The flash from the camera filled the room with light. "One more," said Amy. "For luck." She took another picture, and smiled. "Thanks kids, that's it. Go have a wonderful night, but not too wonderful. Remember, Jim and I are chaperoning."  
  
They all laughed, and gathered up their belongings and headed for the door.  
  
"Alex, Kyle and I have a surprise for all of you," said Max, as he opened the door to the CrashDown. "Look."  
  
Outside the restaurant stood a black limo. The back door was opened, and the liveried driver stood beside the car.  
  
"Good evening," he said. "I am Charles, your driver for this evening."  
  
"Oh wow," whispered Isabelle to Liz. "Am I crazy, or does that guy look like…?"  
  
"Che'koth," Liz whispered back. "No, you're not crazy." Both girls turned to look at Max, who nodded his head slightly.  
  
"Charles just opened a new limo service here in town," Max explained. "He was sponsoring a contest to get his company known around town, and I won."  
  
"I don't think we're all going to fit in there," said Tess, her voice belligerent. "Maybe Kyle and I should just take our own car."  
  
"Relax Tess," said Kyle. "We'll all fit, come on."  
  
One by one, they climbed into the car, until only Kyle and Ava, masquerading as Emma were left standing outside.  
  
"There's only room for one more," Tess said. "See, I told you. Alex's cousin is going to have to ride up front."  
  
"No way," said Kyle. "Watch this." He climbed into the limo, next to Tess and held out his hand to Ava. Come on, there is plenty of room on my lap." He winked at Ava, and she climbed in and snuggled on his lap.  
  
"There," he said in a satisfied voice. "Everything is perfect. To the Prom, Charles."  
  
Everyone laughed as the car started and drove down the street to the school.  
  
The prom itself was something of an anticlimax. Liz and Max spent the early part of the evening together, dancing and talking.  
  
"What is Che'koth doing here?" she whispered to him.  
  
"He was worried about us, and the bejginm," said Max. "So he came down to keep an eye on us."  
  
"Can they do that?" Liz asked.  
  
"Well, not easily," explained Max. "The Granolith is a way to transfer beings back and forth, but it uses up a lot of energy to use it. Che'koth estimates that it will be out of commission for a couple of weeks, anyhow, but since we weren't planning on leaving anytime soon, it's no big."  
  
"Oh, well, I," began Liz. She stopped speaking, and looked past Max, to see Michael standing in the doorway of the gym. "Michael's here," she said, regretfully. "It's time to start."  
  
"Liz, we don't have to go through with this," said Max.  
  
"Yes, we do," Liz said, firmly. "We agreed, and I'm not backing out."  
  
"Then, just remember, I love you," Max said. He made sure Tess was nowhere in site, and quickly kissed Liz, and wiped the tear that slid down her cheek.  
  
"It will be fine," he said.  
  
"I know," Liz agreed. "Just go do it," she urged. "Lets get this thing started."  
  
Max walked off the dance floor, and nodded to Michael, and Kyle. Liz crossed the dance floor and tapped Alex on the shoulder.  
  
"It's time," she said. "Michael's here, and Kyle just got Tess out into the hall. Max is going out there now.  
  
Maria, Michael and Ava walked across the gym floor together, to join Alex, Isabelle and Liz.  
  
"Everybody ready?" Michael asked, unnecessarily.  
  
"Yeah, Let's bury the bitch," said Liz.


	63. Chapter Sixty Three Cry Your Name

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R

**Chapter Sixty-Three**  _Cry Your Name_

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, Alex?" Jim Valenti asked.

"No, but we don't have a choice, do we?" asked Alex.

"I wish you kids had come to me with this plan earlier.  We may have found another way."

"There is no other way, Sheriff," said Alex.  "We've looked at this from every angle, and this is the only option available to us.  Tess was going to kill us anyhow, we're just going to speed things along."

"I just can't believe that she, she just seems so harmless," Jim said.

"She's the type of alien Grandpa was chasing all along," said Kyle, entering the conversation for the first time.  "It was so hard at first to look at Ava, and not see Tess, not think of Tess, but now, when I look at Ava, I don't see any resemblance to Tess at all.  Ava's inner beauty shines through, and when I look at Tess, all I see is the hate and the anger."

Jim rubbed his son's shoulder, and then looked around.  "Explain to me again, why we're meeting out here, at the quarry?"

"Tess is using some sort of alien device to amplify her powers, and, knowing her, she's probably bugging the house as well.  "We're safer out here," explained Kyle.

"I can't believe the lengths she has gone to," said Jim.

"Believe it," said Alex.  "That chic is evil personified.  Look, I'm going to go to my car and call Isabelle and let her know everything is set in motion."

Alex walked across the dirt road and climbed into his car and pulled out a cell phone.  Jim and Kyle watched silently for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Dad, there are a couple of things I need to tell you," said Kyle.  "If anything happens to me, I want you to promise to take care of Ava."

"Nothing's going to happen to you, Son," said Jim, his voice choked with emotion.

"Dad, I want you to promise me," Kyle said, in a resolved voice.

"I promise, Kyle, I promise," said Jim.  "What else?"

"In my locker at school is a key to safety deposit box.  I forged your signature on the forms, so that you would have access to it.  If anything happens to me, get the box, and take what's inside, and take Ava, and get the hell out of Roswell."

"Kyle, you're really starting to worry me," said Jim.  "What's in the box?"

"A cashier's check for a million dollars," said Kyle.  "It's from the money I won in Vegas.  We all did it.  We won a little bit here, and a little bit there, at every casino we could hit.  We figured we may need the money at some point in our lives if we ever had to run."

"God, Kyle, I don't know what to say," said Jim, rubbing his face with his hand.

"There's more, Dad.  My marriage license to Ava is in here too."

"**WHAT!** shouted Jim Valenti.  "You're **WHAT**?"

"Marriage license, Dad.  Look, don't freak out too much.  What I'm going to tell you sounds really weird, and part of it isn't even my story to tell, but I think the others will understand."

"Kyle, what the hell are you rambling about?" asked Jim.  "I want to hear about your marriage."

"Dad, shut up, for a second, and I'll explain.  It's complicated, and it's going to take a while, and we don't have a lot of time."

Kyle explained to his father about the Granolith, and Che'koth, and how the Granolith sensed the fact that they were soul mates, and how they were married according to Antarian tradition.

"And the thing is, Dad, it's right, and we all know it.  None of us could ever imagine spending our lives with anybody else."

"Kyle, do you understand what you are saying?" Jim demanded.  "You are just a kid, and you're sitting here, telling me that you're married.  You should be going to parties, and getting drunk, for Christ sake!"

"You're right, Dad, and I shouldn't have to be saving myself and my friends from evil aliens, but I am, should I stop that, too?"

"Damn it, Kyle, I don't know.  I just don't know anything anymore."

"There's more, Dad, and maybe you better calm down a bit before I tell you this."

"Oh, God, Ava's pregnant?"

"No, not Ava, but Liz is, and Dad, we have to protect her as much as possible too."

"My God, Kyle, is there anything else?"

"Let's see, money, married, Liz pregnant," no, I think that's it.  Oh wait, did I mention that Che'koth is here on Earth posing as a limo driver named Charles?"

"No, you forgot to mention that fact," Jim said, sarcastically.  "Jesus, Kyle, I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Dad, I'm sorry to spring all this on you at once, but I had no choice.  You needed to know all of this stuff."

"You're right, and I'm sorry I went off the deep end," said Jim.  "I'll save that for later after this mess is all over, then, you and I, and **your wife** are going to sit down and have a long, long talk.  Is that clear?"

"Come on, Dad.  Alex is waiting for us.  It's time to go and _kill_ one of my best friends," said Kyle.

At the CrashDown 

The sound of dishes crashing to the floor, echoed in the wake of Maria's screams.  Jim Valenti walked in to the restaurant from the back, his hat in his hand.

"There's been an accident," he said, his face white.  "A car, it swerved into the path of an oncoming semi.  There was nothing the driver of the truck could do.  The driver of the car, it, it was Alex."

"No!" cried Isabelle.  "You're wrong.  You made a mistake, Sheriff," she insisted.

"No, I didn't, I'm sorry Isabelle.  There was no mistake," Jim said, gently."  He turned to look at Max.  "Can you,?" he left the rest of the question unanswered.

Max didn't answer, he just nodded, and looked at Liz, his eyes filled with anguish.  Liz turned from him, her eyes dark with pain, and went to stand with Michael and Maria.

"Let's go," Max said.

The Coroners Office 

"I know what's going to happen," said Isabelle, her voice thick with tears.  "Max is in there, and he's going to put his hand on Alex's chest, and there is going to be a bright light.  Then, Alex will sit up, and Max will hug him, and the two of them will climb out of the truck.  We'll have to come up with some kind of story to explain it, but we'll figure something out."

They watched expectantly as they waited for Max and Alex to exit the van, but nothing happened.  After several minutes, Max climbed out of the van, alone, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"I couldn't do it," he said.  "I tried, but it didn't work.  Alex is dead."

Michael wrapped his arms around both Maria and Isabelle, and held them close as they cried.  Jim Valenti pulled his Kyle to him and held him as if he were afraid that he to would die.  Max stood next to Tess, and watched as Liz ran into the darkness.

"Go to her, Max," said Tess.  "She needs you right now."

Max ran into the dark night, after Liz.

"Liz, wait!" he called.  "Are you alright?"

"Am I alright?" she shouted.  "Are you kidding, one of my best friends is dead.  How can you ask such a stupid question?"  She looked past Max into the night.  "Can she hear us?" she whispered.

"Probably," he whispered as he hugged her.  "Don't worry, everything's going according to plan."

"Alex is okay?" she asked.

"Alex is fine, there isn't a scratch on him.  Che'koth helped him rig the whole accident.  He's having a great time pretending to be the truck driver that hit the car."

"I hope this works," Liz said.  

"It will," said Max. "It has to."


	64. Chapter Sixty Four Beginning of the End

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Sixty-Four The Beginning of the End  
  
Author's Note: Some of the dialogue was taken directly from Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts' Baby it's You.  
  
Sunlight filled Max Evans' bedroom, and cast a warm pool of light on the bed where Tess and Max were relaxing on Max's bed.  
"Max, lets go do something tonight," said Tess. "I want to go have some fun."  
  
"Tess, not now, I don't have time," Max replied. "Liz is still on the warpath. She is insisting that Alex's death wasn't a suicide. I want to believe her, but the evidence is pointing in a different direction."  
  
"Can't we just forget about Liz for a while, and go and enjoy ourselves?" whined Tess.  
  
"I wish it were that simple, Tess," Max said touching her hair gently. "She's decided that his death is alien related, and she won't let it go. I'm afraid of what she might do, or say. We could all be in danger."  
  
"Do you really think she'd betray us?" queried Tess.  
  
"I don't know anymore. There was a time when I would have sworn she'd die to keep our secret, but I'm not so sure anymore."  
  
"Would you mind getting me a drink, Max?" asked Tess. "I'm really thirsty all of a sudden."  
  
"Sure thing," Max answered. He got up off of his bed and walked out to the kitchen.  
  
As soon as he was out of sight, Tess jumped up off the bed and began to pace around the room.  
  
This may work to my advantage, she thought to herself. If Max is worried about Liz, and is beginning to doubt her, I may be able to swing him over to my side. I'll still have to do something about that brat she's carrying. I'm not going to leave any part of Max here. He's so frigging loyal, that he'd try and find a way to come back for the kid. I can't let that happen. But I'll deal with that later. Right now, I need to really focus on Max. I'm glad I figured out about those rings. I had forgotten about the platinum. I don't know how they figured it out. But it doesn't matter now. I just made duplicates of their stupid jewelry, and poof, no more platinum.  
  
"I hope iced tea is okay?" Max asked. He carried a tray loaded down with two glasses filled with ice, and a pitcher of iced tea, as well as some chips.  
  
"Thanks Max, that's really great," said Tess. "Do you have any…?"  
  
"Tabasco Sauce," said Max, pulling a bottle out of his pocket with a smile. "Right here." He passed the bottle of Tabasco to Tess, and sat down on the floor, his back against the bed. Tess lay on the bed behind him and began to play with his hair while she talked.  
  
"Max, let's just forget about Liz for a while. Let's just go out, you and me and I don't know, enjoy life. Alex wouldn't want us to sit around mourning him."  
  
"Okay," said Max. "We'll go. Do you want to head out now?"  
  
"No," said Tess, decisively. "Tonight, after it gets dark. But I do have some ideas about what we can to until then," she added seductively.  
  
Max tried not to panic, but with neither Ava nor Alex around, there was nobody to mind warp Tess into thinking they were fooling around. Thinking fast, Max moved forward and turned to face Tess.  
"I was hoping we could try some of your memory retrieval things again. I really think we're close to a breakthrough, and I really want to remember the life we shared together on Antar."  
  
"Oh, Max," said Tess, her eyes misty. "That's beautiful. Of course we'll work on that for a while."  
  
"Great," said Max, trying to hid his sigh of relief. "And after that, I'll take you out to eat, and then we can go on your grand adventure."  
  
"Max you are so romantic," Tess said, as she climbed off the bed. She settled on the floor next to him, and they began to work on the memory retrieval.  
  
Several hours later, Max groaned in frustration. "Let's stop for a while, Tess. I don't feel like we're getting anywhere. Besides, we need to talk."  
  
"About?" questioned Tess.  
  
"Us, you, me, I don't know," said Max, his voice filled with frustration.   
  
"I know," agreed Tess. With what happened to Alex, I can understand putting the subject on hold. I couldn't deal with it either. But now, I just - - I can't help wondering where we are."  
  
"Right. Right. You and me together, it scares me. Right or wrong, I feel like if I follow that road, I can never go back."  
  
"You're scared to go home," Tess said softly.  
  
"What is home? Is home really up there. I just feel like this whole idea about where we come from, and I want to believe it. I want to understand it more and more, but it just feels like this dream…this, this dream that I can never really quite touch or see or…feel. And Earth just seems so much more…real."  
  
"I have an idea, Max," said Tess. "I'll show you tonight. Instead of going out, I have something to show you. I think you'll like it a lot."  
  
  
That night, Max followed Tess' directions, and drove them to an observatory outside of town.   
  
"I think you'll like this," said Tess, pointing to the telescope. Max leaned down and looked into the eyepiece.  
"Do you see that star, the way it wobbles?"  
  
"Is that our planet?" asked Max, his voice filled with awe.  
  
"No, answered Tess. "That's Barnard's Star. Our world is out there, Max. It's not close, and sometimes it seems like a dream to me, too, but it's real, and I know you know that, too. That's reality, Max. This…this is the dream."  
  
"If that's the truth, when do we wake up?" asked Max  
  
"That's up to you," Tess said softly. She pressed her lips against his cheek. "Whatever you decide Max, for me, it will always be you." She slid her lips across his cheek and pressed her lips to his. Using her tongue, she forced his lips open, and began to kiss him passionately.  
  
Max kissed her back, forcing back his revulsion as her tongue found it's way into his mouth.  
  
Oh, God, he thought to himself. How am I going to get out of this?


	65. Chapter Sixty Five Eeewwww, Ick!

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Author's Note: Some of the dialogue is taken directly from It's Too Late and It's Too Bad, (Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts) and Baby It's You, (Lisa Klink). Yes, I know they were horrible episodes, but the dialogue suits this chapter.   
  
Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R  
  
Chapter Sixty – Five Ewwwwww, Ick!  
  
Tess heard Max groan with passion, and the sound aroused her even further. She slid her hand down his chest until it came in contact with his belt buckle. The buckle came undone beneath her nimble fingers, and she deftly unsnapped his jeans and pulled his zipper down. Sliding her hand inside, she shivered with anticipation when her hand came in contact with his rock hard erection.  
  
"Oh, God, Max, I want you so bad," she moaned against his lips.  
  
"Tess," he whispered back. "Oh Tess." He savagely tugged her shirt away from her body. He gently lowered her to the floor, and covered her body with his. Their bodies joined together as if the were created to be that way for eternity. Tess felt his moment of climax, as he filled her body with his warm seed.   
  
After, they lay quietly together, with her head resting on his chest. Tess felt a stirring in her body, almost an awakening of sorts. She smiled a feral smile. She knew what that feeling was. It was her body and Max's, joining together to create new life.  
  
"My whole life, I've wanted to be this person, this normal person. Human. My whole life I've been thinking that this alien side of me was this bad thing. This thing that made me a freak. This monster. I realize that I haven't just been hiding from the government and the law all this time. I've been hiding from myself. I don't know what's going on anymore. I thought I knew but I don't. I've lost everyone.  
  
"I'll be here for eternity," Tess whispered. "Nothing will ever separate us now, Max." Max said nothing; he only held her closer and kissed her softly. She moved in closer to him, and drifted off to sleep.  
  
Max waited until she was deeply asleep, and then pulled away from Tess, careful not to disturb her slumber. He walked softly across the floor of the observatory, and climbed the ladder to the walkway that encircled the telescope.  
  
"You got here just in time," he whispered. "I didn't know what I was going to do. There was no way in hell I was going to go through with it."  
  
"We're sorry, Max," Ava whispered. "Kyle's car broke down on the way out here. We got here as quick as we could. I am so, so sorry."  
  
"It's okay," Max said. "It's over with. What did you make her think she saw, anyhow? She was looking pretty damn happy over there."  
  
Ava giggled softly, while Kyle gave Max a knowing smirk. "Well, the two of you had mad passionate sex. In fact, you practically ripped her shirt right off of her," Ava said.  
  
"That was my idea," proclaimed Kyle, proudly.  
  
"That so doesn't surprise me," said Max. "So, we had sex, we've done that before, at least in her mind."  
  
"Yeah, but this time, she's pregnant," said Ava.  
  
"WHAT!" Max roared.  
  
"Quiet you idiot, you'll wake her," whispered Kyle. "She's not really pregnant you idiot. She only thinks she is."  
  
"Why?" Max asked weakly. "Did you make her think that?"  
  
"Simple," said Ava. "If she is on to us, Liz and the baby are in the most danger. If we give her a baby of her own, maybe she'll back off and leave Liz alone."  
  
"Oh, that's actually a good idea," he admitted.  
  
"What, you think you're the only one with the market on good ideas?" snapped Kyle. "We Earthlings have brains too."  
  
"I'm sorry Kyle, I'm being a jerk, I know," said Max. "I'm still just a little freaked at having to even kiss her. I tried stalling as long as I could, but she just about attacked me. I was never so happy to see anyone as I was when I saw you and Ava up on the catwalk."  
  
"Yeah, I guess being near her is enough to freak out the most enlightened of us," said Kyle.   
  
"What else do you have planned," asked Max. "How am I going to get out of here?"  
  
"Well, about that," Kyle said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Max, old buddy, I'm afraid you're going to have to have a morning after. Ava and I are going to get out of here, and a few hours before dawn, you are going to try and sneak Tess back into the house. My Dad will be lying in wait, and behave like the typical angry parent whose daughter has been out all night with her boyfriend."  
  
"Why?" Max asked weakly. The thought of an angry sheriff, even a pretend angry sheriff, made him feel nauseous.  
  
"It will make it seem all the more real in her mind," said Ava. "If it really happened, and Sheriff Valenti found out, he'd freak."  
  
"That's good thinking," said Max, looking at her with new respect. "Ava, if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be able to pull any of this off. Thank you so much." He leaned over and hugged her. "I don't know who is luckier," he said. "Michael for having you as a sister, or Kyle for having you for his wife. You're the best."  
  
"Thanks Max," Ava said, blushing. "That's probably the nicest thing anybody's ever said to me.  
  
"It's weird," Max continued. "Hugging you is nothing like hugging Tess. When I held her in my arms, it was like I was being enveloped in a dark cloud. You are the total antithesis of that. You are sunshine and light."  
  
"You nailed it right there," said Kyle. "I noticed those differences a long time ago. "Those doubles of yours, their not duplicates. They're like the negative image of you. All of your positive characteristics are blacked out in them."  
  
"I wonder if we'll ever really understand why the other faction wanted us to be so evil?" pondered Max.  
  
"One mystery at a time," said Kyle. "Let's deal with what we have in front of us, then we can contemplate the mysteries of life both here and on Antar."  
  
"We'd better go," said Ava softly. "It's starting to get light, and we need time to get me back to Michael's before Max and Tess show up at your house."  
  
Max watched as his friends drove out of site, then he slid down on the floor beside Tess. The movement disturbed her, and she opened her eyes and looked at Max, sleepily.  
  
"Hey," she whispered to Max, touching his face with her hand.  
  
"Hey," said Max. Tess smiled at him and drifted off to sleep again. Max waited about an hour, and then woke her again.  
  
"We need to head back," he said.  
  
"Okay," Tess answered. The two straightened their clothing, and drove back to the Valenti house. The car was filled with a strained silence. At the Valenti house, the two sneak in quietly, and Max looked over to the sofa where Kyle was feigning sleep.  
  
"So, I guess I'll see you at school," said Tess.  
  
"Yeah," answered Max, trying to muster some enthusiasm for the thought. He catches Kyle glaring at him and making kissing motions, so he leans down and kisses Tess briefly.  
  
"Is everything okay?" Tess asks, puzzled by the brevity of the kiss.  
  
"Yeah…yeah great," answers Max  
  
"Where the hell have you…?" shouted Jim Valenti, walking into the room "Max! Tess, go to you're room!"  
  
"Yes, sir," she said and quickly exited the room.  
  
"Sheriff," began Max.  
  
"Go home, Max. We'll talk about this later."  
  
"Right," said Max. He gave Jim a pointed look and motioned to the door.  
  
"As a matter of fact, I think I escort you to your car," continued Jim. "Just so I can be certain you do actually leave."  
  
"Sheriff, look, I'm sorry," said Max.  
  
"Save it, Evans. I said we'll talk about this later." Jim pushed Max out the door, and slammed it behind them.  
  
"Did it work?" Jim asked.  
  
"I think so," said Max. "Ava did a fantastic job. She thinks we're together, and that she's pregnant."  
  
"I can't say I like all of this," said Jim. "And I'm still having a hard time accepting that Tess would go to these lengths."  
  
"She's evil, Sheriff," said Max. And she'll stop at nothing to get her way.  
  
"Watch out," said Jim, as Max climbed into his Jeep.  
  
Max started the Jeep and sped off down the road raising a cloud of dust.  
  
"I don't know what I want more," he said to the empty Jeep. "A shower, or a hug from Liz."  
  



	66. Chapter Sixty Six Conflict and Chaos

Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them  
  
Author's Note: I promise, I'll try really hard not to steal any more lousy dialogue from the show   
  
Chapter Sixty – Six Conflict and Chaos   
  
"This is killing me, Maria," Liz said through clenched teeth.   
  
"Try not to think about it Liz," said Maria. "Try to pretend it isn't really happening, because when you think about it, it really isn't."  
  
"What?" said Liz. "Maria, I so don't get you some times." She turned her back and reached into her locker and pulled out her chemistry book.  
  
"It's simple, Liz. What we're seeing; it isn't real. Max isn't really with Tess. It's like he's an actor, playing a part. We all are."  
  
"Yeah, well, Max is making his part seem a little too realistic if you ask me," Liz said darkly. "Look at them over there. God, if she were any closer to him, she'd be inside his jeans."  
  
"Liz!" Maria cried. "I can't believe you just said that."  
  
"Why not, it's true. Anyhow, I've got to go do my thing. I'll see you later." She slammed the locker door shut and walked towards Max and Tess.  
  
"Hi Liz," said Tess, with a smirk on her face. She reached down and slipped her hand into Max's.  
  
"Yeah, hi, Tess," said Liz. "Look, Max. I need to talk to you. It's about Alex."  
  
"Liz, there's nothing left to talk about. He killed himself. I know you don't want to accept it, but it's the truth. All the evidence points to it."  
  
"Yeah, well, all the evidence was wrong!" shouted Liz. "Why can't you see that?"  
  
"And why can't you accept the fact that Alex killed himself!" Max shouted back. "I hate it Liz, I really do, but we have to face the facts. Alex committed suicide."  
  
"You're wrong, Max. Alex is dead, but he didn't kill himself, he was killed, and it was by one of your kind."  
  
"Liz!" shouted Max. He dropped Tess' hand and grabbed Liz by the arm and yanked her into an empty classroom.  
  
"Great job," he whispered.  
  
"Thanks," Liz whispered back. "Ready for some more?"  
  
Max nodded, and Liz started yelling at the top of her lungs about Alex and being murdered.  
  
"Liz, you're hysterical," said Max. "You need to calm down. You're not helping anybody acting this way."  
  
"I'm not going to calm down!" shouted Liz. "What I'm going to do is find the proof that Alex was killed by aliens!" She pulled away from Max and stormed out of the room into the crowded hallway.  
  
Tess peeked into the room and looked at Max. "Well that went well," she said.  
  
"She's crazy," said Max. "She thinks that Alex was killed by aliens. None of us did it, and Nascedo is dead, so who else could it possibly be?"  
  
"Ignore her Max. If we're lucky, she'll start to get over her grief, and accept the fact that Alex killed himself," said Tess. "Come on, let's go to class."  
  
Liz watched from the partially opened doorway of the girl's room until Max and Tess were out of sight. She abruptly turned and ran into an unoccupied stall and began to vomit violently. She moaned in pain as a sharp cramp shot through her abdomen.  
"Max," she whispered softly. "Help me."  
  
Several minutes later, she heard the sound of footsteps pounding down the hall. Someone banged on the bathroom door.  
  
"Liz! Liz, are you in here?" she heard Max call.  
  
"Max," she answered, her voice weak. "I'm here."  
  
The stall door opened, and Liz looked up, to see Max staring down at her.  
  
"Liz, what happened?" he asked, as he knelt down beside her. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I don't know," she said. "I watched you and Tess walk down the hall, and then I felt so sick. I started throwing up, and then, ohhhhh!" she cried out in pain. "It hurts so bad. Max, I'm afraid. What if there's something wrong with the baby?"  
  
Tears streamed down Liz's face as Max looked at her with concern. Without a word, he scooped her up into his arms, and carried her out into the hall. He rushed down the empty corridor to the nurse's office. He placed her gently on one of the cots, and turned to the nurse.  
  
"Her name is Liz Parker. She's nauseous, and complaining of stomach pains."  
  
The nurse walked toward Liz, and pulled out a thermometer. Liz blanched, and Max quickly found a bucket and passed it to her. She threw up again, and at the same time held her stomach.  
  
"Maybe we'll just pass on the temperature," said the nurse. "Last name is Parker, you say?" she asked Max. When he nodded, she went to her computer and typed in the name. "Got it, she said. "I'll just call her family to come and get her."   
  
The nurse turned her back and reached for the phone. As she did, Max placed his hand on Liz's abdomen and concentrated. After a few moments, he smiled at Liz.  
  
"The baby's okay," he said. "At least I'm pretty sure he is. We should get you to the Granolith to make sure, but I can't sense anything wrong."  
  
"Okay, Ms. Parker," said the nurse, hanging up the phone. "Your mother will be down right away. You can leave now," she added, looking at Max. "I'm sure you're supposed to be in class."  
  
"Liz, you'll be okay?" he asked, ignoring the nurse, and looking at Liz.  
  
"Yeah," Liz answered weakly. "I'm sure it's just a stomach virus or something. You go back to class."  
  
"I love you," he whispered softly, as he reached down to squeeze her hand.  
  
Nancy Parker brought Liz home, and tucked her into bed. She placed a cool hand against her daughter's warm forehead, and smoothed her long dark hair away from her pale face.  
  
"I wish you'd let me call the doctor, Liz," she said.  
  
"No, Mom, really, I think it's just a 24 hour bug. If I'm not better tomorrow morning, I won't argue, but give it a chance to get out of my system."  
  
"All right," said Nancy, doubtfully. "But if you get any worse, I'm not going to wait."  
  
"Fine, Mom, listen, I really just want to get some sleep."  
  
"Okay, Sweetie, that's probably the best thing for you, anyhow. I'll be up in a while to check on you."  
  
After Nancy left the room, Liz dropped off into an uneasy doze. Disquieting images filled her dreams. Michael and Isabelle were there, but they kept transforming into Rath and Lonnie. There was a sudden burst of light, and Rath and Lonnie lay on the floor, in a pool of blood. Max and Tess stood over them laughing. Liz looked from Max and Tess, then back to Rath and Lonnie. She felt herself begin to scream. Rath and Lonnie were no longer lying on the floor, it was Michael and Isabelle, and Max and Tess laughed all the harder.


	67. Chapter Sixty Seven Just a Dream

Disclaimer: You know the drill...the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Chapter Sixty – Seven Just a Dream  
  
"Liz, Liz, wake up, Sweetie. It's just a dream." Liz heard her mother's voice through a fog.  
  
"Liz, come on wake up," Nancy said, gently shaking Liz's shoulder.  
  
"Mom?" Liz cried, sitting up in the bed. "Michael and Isabelle. I have to warn them, I have to let them know!"  
  
"Michael and Isabelle, what?" asked Nancy. "Liz, honey, everything's fine. You had a dream, a bad one, but it was just a dream."  
  
"Oh, God, Mom, it was horrible. I saw Michael and Isabelle, and they were dead."  
  
"Liz, calm down. Isabelle and Michael are in school, where they belong. Well, I'm sure Isabelle is anyhow," amended Nancy. "You never can tell with Michael."  
  
Liz forced herself to take a deep breath and relax. "You're right mom, it was a dream. It just seemed really vivid, that's all."  
  
"You seem much cooler," said Nancy, pressing her hand against Liz's forehead. "How are you feeling?"  
  
Liz sat for a minute and waited for the terrible nausea of earlier in the day to return, but her stomach remained calm. "Actually, I'm feeling much better," Liz admitted. "See, I knew it must have been a 24 hour thing."  
  
"Do you want me to bring you some soup?" Nancy asked. Liz looked over at the clock on her nightstand, and saw that it read 12:30.  
  
"No, I'll come down and get some," she said. "I'm really feeling much better. Let me get changed, and I'll be right down."  
  
"Are you sure, Liz? Because I don't mind bringing it up to you."  
  
"No, really, Mom, I'm fine. Just give me a few minutes to clean up, and I'll be right down."  
  
"Oh to have the recuperative powers of the young," laughed Nancy as she left Liz's bedroom.  
  
As soon as her mother left Liz reached for the phone and dialed Isabelle's cell. The phone rang, and rang, then went to voice mail.  
  
"Damn," said Liz. "Isabelle, it's me. Listen, I can't go into details, because I don't have any, but watch your back today." She disconnected the call, and tried Maria's cell phone. After three rings, Maria answered.  
  
"Maria, it's me, have you seen Michael?"  
  
"No, I haven't seen Michael, mostly because Max has him guarding you. What happened to you today?"  
  
"Max has him guarding me? What are you talking about? Michael's not here."  
  
"Look Liz, I don't know anything. Max came and told us you were really sick, and then he told Michael to watch over you. That's the last time I saw him, and that's all I know," said Maria.  
  
"What about Isabelle? Have you seen Isabelle?" questioned Liz.  
  
"Liz, what is your problem today?" snapped Maria. "Isabelle is right here, eating her lunch. Do you want to talk to her?"  
  
"No, no, that's fine," said Liz. "I- I just, never mind. I'll see you later." Liz ended the call, and went to her window to look outside. She couldn't see Michael anywhere, and she was concerned. She knew if he were anywhere in the vicinity, he would have come running when she screamed earlier.  
  
Feeling slightly panicked, Liz quickly changed clothes and went downstairs to join her mother. She made short work of a bowl of soup, and some crackers, to appease her mother.  
  
"Mom, would it be okay if I just went for a short walk?" asked Liz. "I mean, I know I came home sick and everything, but I just can't seem to get those images from my dream out of my head. I was hoping maybe some fresh air would help."  
  
"You know what, Liz, that may be a good idea, but do me a favor," said her mother. "Bring your cell with you. If you start feeling unwell again, just call, and your Dad or I will come and get you."  
  
"Thanks, Mom," said Liz. She checked to make sure she had her cell phone with her, and walked out of the CrashDown. She looked around, trying to see if she could see anything suspicious, and then walked to the back of the building, to look for Michael.  
  
"Michael, Michael, are you here?" she whispered. She looked around, and waited, but got no response. "Something's not right," she said to the empty alley. She started to walk away, but paused when she heard a noise. "Michael?" she called.  
  
"Liz," she heard a voice groan. She ran down the alley towards the voice. "Where are you?"  
  
"Liz? Help me," the voice called. "Liz, they're killing me! Help!" Panicked, Liz searched everywhere for the voice.  
  
"Where are you?" cried Liz. "I can't find you, please keep calling." Liz ran up and down the alley, trying to locate the voice.  
  
"Liz, I need you. Liz, help me," the disembodied voice called out.  
  
"I can't find you," Liz cried, the tears streaming down her face. "I'm trying. Please keep calling."  
  
"Liz. Liz. Liz Parker, are you alright?"  
  
"What?" whispered Liz.  
  
"Liz, are you alright?" said Jim Valenti.  
  
"Sheriff, thank God. You've got to help me find him." Liz cried, her voice filled with panic. "He's been calling out to me, but I can't find him. He's in danger, I know he is."  
  
"Liz, who is it; who is in danger?" shouted Jim. "There's no one here. The alley is deserted."  
  
"Oh, God, it was so real," said Liz. "Just like before."  
  
"What was just like before?" asked the Sheriff. "Liz you are staring to scare me. Who's in danger?"  
  
Liz leaned against the side of the CrashDown, and slid down so that she was seated on the pavement. She hung her head between her knees and began to sob.  
  
"I think I'm going insane," she cried. "First I saw Rath and Lonnie dead, but they changed into Michael and Isabelle. Then Maria told me that Michael was here guarding me, but I can't find him anywhere, and now I'm hearing voices, begging me for help."  
  
"Okay," said the Sheriff. "Let's take this one step at a time. Where did you see Rath and Lonnie?"  
  
"I don't know. I came home sick today, and I was sleeping, and I had this dream, but it wasn't a dream," said Liz.  
  
"Like a vision," said the Sheriff.  
  
"Yeah, I guess, anyhow, I saw Rath and Lonnie on the ground in a pool of blood. I looked up, and Max and Tess were there, laughing. When I looked back at down at Rath and Lonnie, they had changed to Michael and Isabelle."  
  
"So then you spoke to Maria," prompted Jim.  
  
"Yeah, and she said Max had sent Michael to guard me, but that can't be, because when I saw him and Isabelle dead, I screamed. Sheriff, I know if Michael were anywhere around, and he heard me scream like that, he would have come running."  
  
"You're right, Liz. Why did Max have Michael guarding you, anyhow?"  
  
"I don't know. Maria wasn't sure why. But I was feeling better, and I convinced my mother to let me come for a walk. I thought I could find Michael, and he could help me figure out what's going on. But when I got down here, he wasn't anywhere, and I kept hearing these voices, begging me for help."  
  
"Liz, when I saw you down here, I must have called your name at least ten times, and you never heard me. It was like you were in a trance," said the Sheriff. "You were really starting to worry me."  
  
"I don't know what to do," admitted Liz. "I'm scared."  
  
"The first thing we are going to do, is get you inside," said the Sheriff. "And get you a cold drink. Then we'll sit down and figure this thing out."  
  
The Sheriff put his hand on Liz's shoulder and began to lead her towards the CrashDown. Once inside, he sat her down at a booth, and went to the counter and ordered them a couple of drinks.  
  
"Hey, Nancy, I bumped into Liz outside. I know she came home from school early today, but she and I got to talking, and she came up with some great ideas for a surprise party for Kyle. Do you mind if she and I run out to the house and go over some things?"  
  
"Um, Jim, wasn't Kyle's birthday a week or so ago?"  
  
"Yeah, that's what makes it such a great surprise. He won't suspect a thing."  
  
"Liz, are you feeling up to it?" Nancy asked from across the relatively empty café.  
  
"Yeah, Mom. I'm actually feeling pretty great," said Liz. "That walk did wonders for me."  
  
"Okay, Sweetie, you go ahead, but take it easy, and if you start to not feel well," she paused.  
  
"I'll bring her right home, Nancy, I promise," said Jim with a laugh. "Even though they don't come with instructions, Kyle has managed to survive, you know."  
  
"I'm sorry, Jim," laughed Nancy. "I'm just a big worrywart."  
  
"I understand," Jim said softly. "She's you're baby." He picked up the two drinks and smiled across the café at Liz. "Are you ready, Ms. Party Planner?"  
  
"Yeah, and thanks Mom. I shouldn't be too late." She stood up from the booth and met the sheriff in the middle of the floor, and the two walked out into the hot Roswell sun.  
  
"You do realize you are going to have to throw a party after this," Liz said with a small chuckle.  
  
"Yeah, I know," said Jim. "I guess we can make it a combination birthday party, wedding reception baby shower," he added with a pointed look at Liz.  
  
"Oh, Kyle told you?" she asked. "Yeah, and when this is all over, all of you have some explaining to do. Now come on. Let's go track down Michael and Isabelle. 


	68. Chapter Sixty Eight Enough

**Disclaimer:** You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Chapter Sixty – Eight - _Enough_  
  
Jim drove to West Roswell High, and parked his vehicle. "You wait here," he said. "I'm going to go get Kyle." He climbed out of the car, and ran inside, and Liz closed her eyes, and leaned her head back against the headrest of the car. Within several minutes, Jim and Kyle were back.  
  
"Hey Liz," said Kyle. "Thanks."  
  
"Thanks for what, Kyle," she answered.  
  
"For whatever it is that happened that got me out of Spanish. We were about to have a vocabulary exam."  
  
"Spanish!" cried Liz, sitting up straight in her seat. "Was Michael there?"  
  
"No, in fact, he's been acting kind of weird today. I saw him in the hall earlier, and he just blew me off completely."  
  
"How about Isabelle, how was she acting?"  
  
"I didn't see her at all today either, which was kind of peculiar."  
  
"Why is that peculiar?" asked Liz.  
  
"Well, normally, it wouldn't be, but she was going to bring Ava to school today as a 'guest', but she never picked her up, " explained Kyle.  
  
"Do you know where she is now, Son?" asked Jim as he started the truck.  
  
"Yeah, I talked to her on her cell not too long ago, and she was hanging out over at Michael's.  
  
"Okay, we'll swing by his apartment and pick her up. Damn, I wish there was some way I could get in touch with Max, Alex and Maria," said Jim.  
  
"Maybe there is," said Liz. She closed her eyes, and concentrated deeply on both her child and her husband.  
  
_Little baby of mine, if there ever was a time I needed to be in touch with your Daddy, it's now. Max, Max, can you hear me?_ Liz thought to herself  
  
_Liz?_ The voice echoed in her mind.  
  
_Max, I think we have a problem. I can't go into it now, but try and find Maria and Alex and meet us at the old soap factory._  
  
"Max is going to try and get the others and meet us at the old soap factory," explained Liz.  
  
"How did you do that? Wait, **what** did you do?" asked Jim.  
  
"According to Che'koth, the baby will allow us to communicate with each other when there is danger to either us, or the baby."  
  
"The baby can sense a dangerous situation?" the Sheriff asked incredulously.  
  
"No but he can read our emotions and feelings, so if he senses a rush of adrenalin, I guess he opens up the channels of communication," explained Liz.  
  
"Look, can we quit gabbing and go get Ava?" asked Kyle. "I'm really starting to get worried."  
  
"Don't worry, Son. Ava's a smart girl; she can take care of herself. Besides, we're almost there." Jim turned his truck onto Michael's street and pulled up outside of his apartment. Kyle jumped out and ran up the steps and banged on the door.  
  
Liz watched silently from the truck as Kyle banged repeatedly on the door.  
  
"Wait here," said the Sheriff. "I'm going to go see what's wrong." He climbed out of the truck and met Kyle who was walking back towards the truck. Together, the two men walked back towards the apartment and began peering into the windows.  
  
_Liz, help us!_ a voice echoed in Liz's head. _We're trapped, Liz. It was a set up._  
  
"Oh, God, Max!" Liz screamed. "Where are you?"  
  
_No! No, not Maria. Leave her alone. Maria!_ the voice in her head screamed. _No, not Maria, too,"_ sobbed the voice in her head.  
  
Liz looked around frantically, unaware of the tears streaming down her face. She reached for the door handle, and opened the door, filling the car with the warmth of the Roswell sun. She climbed out of the car, and tried to call out to Kyle and the Sheriff, but when she opened her mouth, nothing happened. Fear coursed through her body, and she tried to run up to the Sheriff and Kyle, but each step was like walking through a pool of molasses.   
  
Liz forced her feet to move, using all her strength with each step. Halfway up the walkway, she looked up, and saw the door to Michael's apartment swing open, and the Sheriff and Kyle walk inside. She waved her arms frantically, and called out to them, but again, she was speechless. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion, and a bright flash of light. Liz threw up her hands, instinctively, shielding her eyes. When she lowered them, she realized that Michael's apartment was gone, and all that remained was a heap of burning rubble.  
  
"No!" she screamed, falling to the ground sobbing. "No!"  
  
Over her tears, she became aware of another sound, the sound of laughter. She looked up and saw Isabelle across the street laughing.  
  
"Isabelle," she called weakly. "Isabelle, help."  
  
"They're gone, Liz," Isabelle called from across the street. "They're all gone, and it's you're fault. You could have saved them if you wanted to, but you didn't. You didn't care. All you cared about was your baby. You don't deserve that baby. If you're not careful, the baby will be gone too."  
  
"No!" screamed Liz, her voice echoing down the street. "No!"  
  
"Liz, Liz, sweetie, wake up. Wake up, Liz," a voice whispered softly.  
  
"Mom?"   
  
"Liz, honey, you were having a bad dream," said Nancy. "Do you want to talk about it, sweetie?"  
  
"Um," Liz thought as quick as her sleep-fogged brain would allow. "It was weird. Aliens from outer space attacked. They captured Max, and Maria, and I saw them kill Kyle and his Dad."  
  
"Maybe you shouldn't spend so much time in the café, Sweetie," said Nancy with a laugh. "I don't know why you had that dream, but I do know that Alex, Max, Maria, Kyle and Isabelle are downstairs right now. Michael's on the grill right now, but he asked about you as soon as he got here. They came over as soon as school got out to make sure you were all right. And, they all took turns calling all afternoon, to make sure you were okay."  
  
"Can they come up, Mom?" asked Liz. "I know I'm sick and everything, but I really just need to see them and make sure they're okay."  
  
"Relax, Liz, they're fine, but yes, they can come up. Actually," she added, putting her hand on Liz's forehead. "You feel much cooler, and you look one hundred percent better. It must have been a little bug. How about if I send some food up with your friends? Do you think you could eat something?"  
  
"Um, yeah, that would be great, Mom. I'd love some Saturn Rings, and a burger."  
  
A short time later, there was a knock on Liz's door, and in walked Max, Isabelle, Alex, Maria, Kyle, and Ava, each of them carrying a tray of food."  
  
"Hey," said Liz, feeling a bit foolish at the rush of emotion she felt when she saw them walk through her door.  
  
"You okay, Chica?" asked Maria, plopping down on the bed next to Liz.  
  
"Yes, no, I don't know," Liz said, her voice full of misery.  
  
"Well, that clears everything up for me," said Kyle. "Can I have some fries please?"  
  
"What's the matter, Liz?" Max asked, stroking her hair gently.  
  
"Isabelle," said Liz, ignoring Max's question. "Did you try and dream walk me today for any reason.  
  
"No, why would I do that?" Isabelle asked, reasonably. "And when? I was in school all day."  
  
"Well, after I came home today, I fell asleep, and I had this horrible dream," began Liz. "I saw Isabelle and Michael, and they were lying in a pool of blood, dead. I looked again, and they had changed to Rath and Lonnie, and then they were Isabelle and Michael again."  
  
"And you thought I dream walked you and made you see that?" asked Isabelle, her voice angry.  
  
"No, wait, I'm not done," said Liz. "After I woke up, I was feeling better and I went downstairs to eat, and I bumped into the Sheriff. I told him what was going on, and he took me to get Kyle, and then we went to Michael's apartment to get Ava."  
  
"That's not possible," said Kyle. "Dad's out of town today. He won't be back until late tonight."  
  
"Just let me finish," said Liz. "On our way to Michael's, I contacted Max, and we agreed to all meet at the old soap factory. We got to Michael's, and Kyle went to get Ava, but nobody answered the door. The Sheriff went with him to see if they could find a way into the apartment. While I was waiting in the truck, I heard Max calling me." She turned to Max and looked at him, her eyes expressing the pain she felt at recalling her memories.  
  
"Max, it was terrible, you were screaming, you sounded like you were in so much pain. I couldn't stand it, then all of a sudden you started screaming and crying about Maria, and saying it was too late. I didn't know what to do, so I got out of the car to warn Kyle and his Dad, but when I tried to call out to them, nothing happened. I couldn't speak. Then I tried to run up the walk to warn them, but it was like I was walking through quicksand. Just as I was about to reach them, they went inside the apartment and it blew up."  
  
"Well, it was all just a dream," said Max, reasonably. "Nobody's dead, we're all here, and we're safe."  
  
"I'm not done," said Liz. "Right after the explosion, I saw Isabelle across the street. She told me they were all dead, and it was my fault, and to watch out, because the baby could be next."  
  
"What!" cried Isabelle. "Liz, you have to believe me, I would never do anything like that!"  
  
"You wouldn't," said Maria. "But can you think of anyone who can do it, and once more, would do it?"  
  
"Lonnie," said Ava. "That sounds like just the sick scenario she'd come up with.  
  
"But how did she know Liz would be home, sleeping at that time of day?" asked Maria. "Normally, she'd be in school."  
  
"Oh, my God," Liz said softly. "Tess engineered this whole thing. This morning, when I left you Max, after our 'fight' she purposely bumped into me in the hallway. Do you think she could have somehow done something to make me sick?"  
  
"It's possible," admitted Max. "Her powers are so much more advanced than ours. So, she set you up to get sick, knowing you'd go home and try and sleep it off, and then Lonnie took over. This is not good."  
  
"Not good!" shouted Maria. "It's worse than not good. It's horrible."  
  
"But what about the first part of my dream, where I say Michael and Isabelle, and then it was Lonnie and Rath?" asked Liz.  
  
"I don't know, maybe it was a warning of some sort," said Max. "Something to let you know that Rath and Lonnie were a part of the mix."  
  
"I'm not sure," said Liz. "But I do know this, things have got to change, starting now. We keep saying that, but nobody is doing anything. Well, I'm going to. I'm going to kill that bitch if it's the last thing I do."


	69. Chapter Sixty Nine Until Forever

**Disclaimer:** You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
**Chapter Sixty-Nine** _Until Forever_  
  
"So, that's it," said the voice. "Does everybody understand what they have to do?"  
  
One by one, each person in the room nodded.  
  
"I'm not sure I can do this," said one of them.   
  
"You can. You have to. Your role is crucial to the success of the plan."  
  
"I'll do my best."  
  
"That's all anybody can ask. It's late, we should all get home," the voice continued.   
  
They said their goodnights, and filed one by one out of the pod chamber into the dark desert night.   
  
"Your home is up there," said the first voice, looking up to a sky filled with dazzling stars.  
  
"My home is with you. You _are_ my world.  
  
"And I love you, Max, until forever."  
  
"Max," we need to talk," Tess said to Max early the next morning after he picked her up for school.   
  
"Sure, what's up?"  
  
"Well, we kind of have a problem," Tess said. "I'm, well, Max, I'm pregnant."  
  
"You are? Are you sure, I mean, how can you know already?"  
  
"I guess an Antarian pregnancy progresses differently than those on Earth. I can fell this baby already. He's growing inside of me."  
  
"He?" said Max. "You can tell that it's a boy?"  
  
"It's like he's communicating with me," said Tess. "I can sense his feelings and thoughts. It's amazing. But, Max, what are we going to do?"  
  
"Whatever you want to do," said Max. "I'll stand by you, Tess. You're not in this alone. We'll get through it together."  
  
"Oh, Max," said Tess, her face shining with happiness. "Do you really mean it? I thought you'd just tell me to deal with it."  
  
Max pulled the Jeep over to the side of the road, and gathered Tess in his arms.  
  
"Tess, we got into this situation together, we'll get through it together."  
  
"But what about Liz?" Tess asked, her voice trembling slightly.  
  
"What about her?" Max asked, clearly puzzled. "We're not together, and we haven't been for a very long time.  
  
"I know," said Tess. "I just wanted to make sure, I mean, she came to Las Vegas with us, and you guys were, well, it seemed like you two were getting close again."  
  
"Not even close, Tess. You and I are together; we're a couple, not Liz and I, that's ancient history. Now, we need to get to school. We'll talk more, later on."  
  
Max pulled the Jeep back onto the road, and quickly drove to West Roswell High School. He parked the Jeep and climbed out and rushed to the passenger side and helped Tess out. Together the two walked into school, and met Michael and Isabelle in the hall.  
  
"Hey," said Michael. "What's up?"  
  
"Tess and I have some news," said Max, looking pointedly at Michael and Isabelle.   
  
"What's wrong, Max?" said Isabelle, her voice tinged with panic.  
  
"Nothing's _wrong_," said Max. "In fact, it could even be considered right. Like a destiny fulfilled even. Tess and I are having a baby."  
  
"What!" shouted Michael. "You can't be."  
  
"We can, and are," said Max, calmly.   
  
"But Max, what if it comes out with green skin or something?" Michael said in a panic.  
  
"Michael, will you relax," said Isabelle, trying to be the voice of reason. "Nothing has to be decided now, and especially, not here."  
  
"There's nothing to decide," said Max. "Tess and I are together now, she's pregnant, and we're having this baby. That's all there is to it."  
  
Max took Tess by the hand, and led her down the hallway, while Michael and Isabelle watched the walk away.  
  
"A baby, huh?" said Michael.  
  
"Don't look at me," said Isabelle. "**You're** sister is the one who mind warped her. The baby thing was her idea."  
  
"Yeah, and it's working great," said Michael, his voice tinged with pride at Ava's accomplishment. "Except for the part where we have to watch Max drool all over her. That part is rather disgusting."  
  
"If you think it's disgusting for us, how do you think Liz feels about the whole thing," said Isabelle, motioning across the hall. Michael looked up, and saw Liz standing by a locker, with tears spilling out of her eyes.  
  
The two Antarians crossed the hallway and stood protectively on either side of Liz.  
  
"You okay?" Michael asked.  
  
"It's just harder than I thought, that's all," sniffed Liz. "Seeing them walking through the hall together, and she's glowing like she's a Madonna or something. It's not like she's really pregnant or anything."  
  
"Yeah, but she thinks she is, Liz, and the mind is a powerful thing. She's convinced that she's pregnant and her body is going to start providing her with psychosomatic symptoms," said Isabelle. "But we all know better. She's not pregnant with Max's baby, and she never will be. He loves you Liz, and don't you forget it."  
  
"I won't, Isabelle," Liz said, wiping her eyes. "Thank you for reminding me."  
  
"Come on, we need to get to class. The threesome walked down the halls, and paused outside of Isabelle's classroom.  
  
"You'll be okay?" she asked Liz, uncertainly.  
  
"Yeah, I will be," said Liz, her voice strong with resolve. "I have to be, I have a war to win."  
  
Michael took Liz by the arm, and they continued to walk down the now deserted hallway.  
  
"You don't have to escort me, Michael," Liz said with a small smile. "I'll be okay."  
  
"I know you will," he replied. "Did you ever think that maybe I just want to walk you to class?"  
  
"No," Liz said, bluntly. "You want something, what is it?"  
  
"This think, I don't think we're all going to make it out of this alive. Just make sure Maria knows how much I love her."  
  
"Tell her yourself, Guerin," said Liz. "Nobody is going to die, at least not anybody I care about."  
  
"Liz, I'm serious," said Michael.   
  
"So am I, so just drop it. Now, is everything set for tonight?"  
  
"Yeah, it's going to be great. I wish I could see it happen," said Michael, shaken by the vehemence in Liz's voice.  
  
"We can't, none of us can be there, it's too much of a risk. Alex will be able to pull it off without us," said Liz. "Now, I'm going to class, I'll see you later."  
  
Michael watched as Liz walked down the hall, her head held high. "Maybe if she had been with us on Antar, we would have won the war. She sure makes one hell of a general," he said in admiration to the empty hall.


	70. Chapter Seventy The Haunting of Tess H...

**Disclaimer:** You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
**Chapter Seventy** _The Haunting of Tess Harding_  
  
**Phase 1**  
  
Tess stared dreamily out the classroom door, her mind on the life that she would have on Antar, with Max, and their baby. Suddenly, she sat up, and looked intently out the window of the classroom door. Someone was out there watching her. She could feel their eyes bearing down on her. It was unnerving.  
  
_It's probably Liz,_ she thought to herself. "Mr. Seligman," she called, raising her hand in the air.  
  
"Yes, Miss Harding? And what fine bit of scientific wisdom do you have to add to our discussion?"  
  
"Um, I don't, that is, could I have a bathroom pass please?"  
  
"As you wish, Miss Harding," said the much maligned science teacher.   
  
He scribbled out a pass, and Tess grabbed her books, and the pass and stepped out into the halls. She looked up the hall in time to see a shadowy figure turn the corner.  
  
"Hey, wait!" she called, running down the hall. "Liz Parker, is that you?"  
  
She rushed down the hall after the shadowy figure. Tess turned the corner and stopped in shock. The normally well lit hallway was shrouded in a misty fog. Peering through the mist, she saw the shadowy figure beckoning her closer.  
  
"What kind of a trick is this, Liz?" she called. "I don't feel like playing your stupid games, bitch. I don't have time for this. You lost, why don't you just accept it?"  
  
"Tess," the voice at the end of the hallway called out. "Tess, come closer."  
  
Almost unwillingly, Tess moved closer to the voice. "Liz?" she called out. "You can stop the freak show, it isn't going to work."  
  
"You killed me," the shadowy figure whispered to her. "Why did you kill me, Tess? I thought we were friends!"  
  
"Wha?" Tess said softly. "Alex?" She peered through the fog, trying to focus on the shape at the end of the hallway. "It can't be you, you're dead."  
  
"I am dead," said the voice. "And you're the reason why. You must pay for what you did, Tess. You and you're baby. You're not safe here any longer, Tess. I'm going to make you pay."  
  
Tess closed her eyes, and opened her mouth and started to scream, but the noise was drowned out by the ringing of the bell. She opened her eyes to find the mist was gone, and the hall filled with hundreds of students pushing past her to get to their next class.  
  
"Tess, are you okay?" said Isabelle, appearing out of nowhere to stand next to her. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."  
  
"I did, I mean, no, I'm fine. I just need to find Max, right away." Tess rushed off down the hall, and Isabelle smiled and pulled out her cell phone. She punched in a number and waited a second before saying.  
  
"It worked. Start phase two, immediately."  
  
**Phase 2**  
  
Max walked down the hall towards Tess, and slid his cell phone into his pocket.  
  
"Hi," he said, sliding his arm around Tess' waist. "How are you doing? Are you okay, you're looking a little pale."  
  
"Actually," said Tess, "I'm not feeling all that great, do you want to drive me home."  
  
"I can't," said Max, trying to make his voice sound regretful. "I have an exam this period, and I can't afford to miss it. Don't you have you're car here?"  
  
"Yeah, I do," said Tess, almost absentmindedly. "That's a good idea. I'll take my car and go home."  
  
She started to walk down the hall, and stopped when Max called out to her.  
  
"And Tess!" he shouted to her retreating figure.  
  
"Yes, Max," Tess answered, turning around to smile hopefully at him.  
  
"Don't forget to sign out at the office," he said, smothering a grin as her expression fell.  
  
Tess scowled and turned in the direction of the office. Max waited until her retreating figure was out of sight, and pulled out his cell phone.   
  
"You're on," he said into the mouthpiece.  
  
**Phase 3**  
  
Tess climbed into her SUV and pulled out of the school parking lot. She turned the air conditioner on full blast, and turned up the radio, in an attempt to drown out her thoughts.  
  
As she drove, she tried to get a handle on what she had seen in school.   
  
"I must be sick," she said aloud to the empty car. "Yeah, that's it. I'm sick, I have a fever or something, and I'm having delusions. Or, maybe it's the baby. That could be it! The baby could be making me see things. I mean, even Nescedo had no idea of how our bodies would adapt to pregnancy down here. The baby could be making me see things that aren't there!"  
  
Satisfied with her conclusion, she hummed along with the radio as she drove along.  
  
"The baby isn't making you sick, Tess," said a voice beside her. "The baby is sick."  
  
Tess looked over into the passenger seat and saw Alex, sitting next to her and screamed.  
  
"Scream all you want, Tess. There isn't anybody to help you. You need to listen to me."  
  
"Why should I listen to you?" she shouted. "You don't want to help me, you want to hurt me, you said so yourself."  
  
"Tess, listen to me, your baby is very sick."  
  
"I don't believe you," she sobbed, trying to control the vehicle as the tears streamed down her face.  
  
"Believe me, Tess," said the entity sitting next to her. "I'd like nothing more than to see you dead, but your baby is an innocent in all of this, and he's going to die unless you leave this planet."  
  
"Why are you doing this to me?" she sobbed. "Why?"  
  
"Tess, you have to listen to me, it's going to get worse. Soon, you'll start to experience terrible pains in your stomach. Your baby can't survive in this atmosphere. It's killing him. You must leave, immediately."  
  
Dimly, Tess became aware of a car honking. She looked back to the road, and saw that her SUV had swerved into oncoming traffic. Yanking on the wheel, she swerved back into her own lane.  
  
"Alex, how? How can I go home?" she looked over to the passenger seat, but it was empty.  
  
**Phase 4**  
  
Tess lay on the couch in the Valenti's living room, her face bathed in sweat. Sheriff Valenti wiped her head with a cool cloth, and looked at her with concern.  
  
"How are you feeling?" he asked.  
  
"How did I get here?" she asked.  
  
"The office notified me that you were on your way home. When you didn't get here, I took my car out and went to look for you. I found you in your car, on the side of the road, unconscious, and I brought you home."  
  
"Thank you," whispered Tess."  
  
"Oh, and I called Max," continued the Sheriff. "He's been frantic about you. He heard you weren't feeling well, but had no idea what was wrong. He said you were fine when he saw you before school this morning. He said if he'd had any idea you weren't feeling well, he'd never have left you alone. Anyhow, he's on his way out here."  
  
"That makes no sense," said Tess. "Max saw me just before I left school. He said he had a test and couldn't drive me home."  
  
"Are you sure?" asked the Sheriff. "He told me he didn't have anything big going on at school today, and he'd be over as quick as he could."  
  
"Maybe I misunderstood," said Tess, her voice puzzled.  
  
"Maybe," agreed Jim. "Why don't you close your eyes and rest for a while. I'll wake you as soon as he gets here.  
  
Tess closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.  
  
**Phase 5**  
  
"Tess, can you hear me?" a voice whispered. "Tess"  
  
"Max, is that you?" Tess asked, opening he eyes and looking around the room. Her eyes landed on a figure sitting in a chair across the room.  
  
"You're still here, Tess. Why? Don't you care about your baby?"  
  
"Of course I care about my baby. I'd do anything for him."  
  
"You need to leave this planet," said the voice. "If you don't, your baby will die."  
  
As the voice spoke, the room seemed to fill with light. Tess strained to see the figure in the chair. Slowly it came into focus, and she screamed. It was Alex sitting in the chair, his body slowly decomposing, with maggots crawling over his body.  
  
**Phase 6**  
  
"Tess, wake up, it's me, it's Max."  
  
"Max, is it really you?" cried Tess, clinging to the arms that held her.  
  
"Tess, why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well today?" asked Max.  
  
"I did, in the hall, just before lunch," said Tess. "I asked you to take me home, and you told me to drive myself, that you had a test you couldn't miss."  
  
"Tess, I would never do that," said Max. "I could never let you put yourself in jeopardy that way. Now, tell me, what's wrong?"  
  
"Wait, I need to get up," said Tess. "I want to go get a drink."  
  
"Are you sure you should be moving around?" asked Max. "Sheriff Valenti said he found you unconscious in your car earlier. I was so worried, Tess."  
  
"I'll be okay," said Tess, struggling to stand up. Slowly she walked out to the kitchen and got herself a glass of water. Max watched as she crossed the kitchen floor, the glass in her hand. Suddenly, Tess screamed, and slumped to the floor clutching her stomach, while broken pieces of glass sat in a spreading puddle of water.  
  
"Tess, are you okay!" shouted Max, springing from the chair, and running to the kitchen.  
  
"Max, the baby," cried Tess. "Something's wrong, he's dying. He can't survive here on Earth. The atmosphere is poisoning him. Oh Max, our baby's going to die."  
  
"No he won't," said Max, his voice grim. "If he can't live here, then we'll take him back to Antar."


	71. Chapter Seventy One Two Down, One to Go

**Disclaimer:** You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
**Chapter Seventy-One** _Two Down, One to Go_  
  
"How can we go back to Antar?" Tess asked, while clutching her stomach.  
  
"I'll find a way," said Max. "I want you to stay here and rest. The Sheriff is a phone call away if you need anything. I'm going to go get everything organized and tell the others. We'll leave tomorrow."  
  
"Oh, Max, this is wonderful. We can go home, and our baby will be safe. We'll be so happy, Max, I just feel it."  
  
Max smiled briefly and walked out the door and got into his Jeep and drove away. As soon as he was out of sight, Tess sprang from the couch and ran outside to her own car. She was in such a hurry to get to the Tumbleweed Motel, that she didn't notice Maria's Jetta following several car lengths behind.  
  
Tess quickly climbed from her car, and made her way to the room where she pounded on the door to Lonnie and Rath's room.  
  
"I'm comin, I'm comin, chill, will ya?" came Rath's voice from behind the door.  
  
"Yeah, Queenie, what the frig do you want?" he asked, lounging against the door, wrapped only in a towel.  
  
"Shut up and let me in, Rath," demanded Tess pushing past him. "Where's Lonnie? We have to talk."  
  
"I'm right her, Queenie," answered Lonnie, from the bed. She sat up and pulled the covers tighter around her naked body. "Rath and me were busy. So, hurry up and say what you gotta say, so me and my man can get back to business. Unless you'se are here to join us or sumptin?"  
  
"Please," said Tess, her voice heavy with disgust. "As if. But if you two would rather screw than hear my news, that's fine. I'll just leave, and then you and Rath can spend the rest of your worthless lives stuck here on this God forsaken planet.  
  
Wait a second, Queenie, what are you talking about?" asked Rath.  
  
"It's time, you moron, that's what I mean. We're going home. Tomorrow. That is, if you can get rid of Michael and Isabelle between now and then," answered Tess.  
  
"Don't worry, Tess. We'll do our part," snarled Rath. "You just make sure you don't screw everything up."  
  
"Watch it, Rath," said Tess. "I don't have to bring you with us. So just back off, or you'll find yourself stuck on this frigging hell hole for the rest of your life."  
  
"Relax, Queenie," said Rath, holding up his hands in a placating manner. "It'll be taken care of. Just chill, and go take care of Maxie boy."  
  
Tess glared at Rath, with venom filled eyes, then turned and walked out the door.  
  
"I'm glad that bitch is gone," said Rath as he threw himself across the room, and landed on the bed next to Lonnie. She is startin to get me really pissed."  
  
"So why dontcha just off her already. I'm sick of hearin about her," said Lonnie, pulling the towel off of Rath's body.  
  
"You know why," growled Rath. "Jesus, don't you start actin as friggin stupid as that bitch. "Our protector cut a deal with Kivar, that's why. He still wants her. She betrayed her man, and let Kivar's armies enter the city undetected. "  
  
"Cause she's his connection to the Royal family babe. He knew he didn't stand chance with you, so he'll settle for Queenie. Especially if she's knocked up with Zan's brat."  
  
"Yeah, but who says he won't whack us, as soon as we bring Queenie home to him," said Lonnie, pressing kisses against Rath's flat stomach.  
  
"Cause I'm gonna kill the bastard first," groaned Rath, as Lonnie's mouth slid lower down his body.  
  
"Ah, shit!" Rath exploded when someone began to pound on the door. "Who the frig is at the door now?" he shouted, over the pounding on the door. "Queenie, if that's you, get the hell outta here. I'm busy."  
  
The pounding continued, until Rath pushed Lonnie away, and climbed off the bed and walked across the stained motel carpet to the door.  
  
"What the hell do you want now, we're busy!" he shouted.  
  
"Rath, open up," came the muffled voice from the other side of the door. "It's important. I have to talk to you right away!"  
  
"Jesus Christ, Queenie, this better be good!" he shouted as he opened the door. "What the hell," his voice trailed off. "Wait, you're dead," Rath said, his voice hoarse.   
  
"Wrong," said Alex, pushing his way into the room. "But now, you are!" Maria ducked under Alex's arm and pressed her hand against Rath's chest, and concentrated, sending a short fast burst of energy directly to his heart.  
  
"Bastard, I killed you once!" said Maria. "You should have stayed dead."  
  
"Rath!" screamed Lonnie, jumping from the bed "You're gonna die, bitch."  
  
"No, she isn't," said Alex, aiming a bolt of energy at her. Lonnie's naked body flew back across the bed, and then fell to the floor.  
  
Alex stood looking down at Rath's dead body, and then glanced across the room to where Lonnie's body had fallen.  
  
"We just killed two people," he said, his voice hollow. "And I don't feel any different, do you?"  
  
"No, but why should I," snapped Maria. "I already killed Rath once, like I said. If Max had just let him stay dead, maybe things wouldn't have gone this far."  
  
"But if Max had let him stay dead, we may have never learned that it wasn't Isabelle that betrayed them on Antar, it was Tess. Isabelle deserves to know that. No, she **needs** to know that,' said Alex.  
  
"Come on," said Maria, tugging at his arm. "I need to get out of here, and find Michael. I also need to take a shower, and maybe sniff some cedar oil, and not necessarily in that order. God, I feel so dirty." She looked around the room. "Did they ever let housekeeping in here?" she asked, not expecting an answer. "It's disgusting in here."  
  
"Maria, snap out of it," said Alex." "You're rambling about the state of the room. Let's get you to Michael, I think you need to be with him, more than you need anything else."  
  
"It's just that he looks so much like Michael," Maria whispered, looking down at Rath's body. "I mean, consciously, I know that it isn't Michael. Michael could never ever act like that. It's just that sometimes, it's hard to get past the physical differences."  
  
"Maria, look at me," said Alex, turning Maria away from the bodies lying on the floor. "When you look at Ava, who do you see?"  
  
"Ava, of course," said Maria. "What is this, some kind of geek brain teaser of yours?"  
  
"No, just listen for a minute. Kyle said it one time. When he looks at Ava, he doesn't see the resemblance to Tess. For him, it isn't there. Ava is herself, a unique individual, and the person she is on the inside is what shows through. If you spent more time with those two things in there, you wouldn't see any resemblance at all to either Michael, or Isabelle. Those two were completely evil inside. There wasn't any good in them anywhere, and that's what would have shown through. Just keep reminding yourself of that."  
  
"How'd you get so smart?" Maria sniffed.  
  
"I hang around with a couple of really smart ladies," said Alex, pulling her close. "Now come on, lets get out of here. Kyle, Ava and his dad are going to take care of removing, well, getting rid of," he stopped.  
  
"I know what you mean," said Maria. "You're right, let's get out of here." She turned and gave one last look at the Michael doppelganger that lay on the floor. "You know, you're right," she added as they walked out the door into the warm Roswell evening. "He doesn't look anything at all like Michael.


	72. Chapter Seventy Two Farewell Bob Rust ...

**Disclaimer:** You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
**Chapter Seventy-Two** – _Farewell Bob – Rust in Pieces_  
  
"Do we _have_ to do this?" Max whispered to the Sheriff and Michael. "I love my Jeep."  
  
"You don't have any choice, Max," said Jim Valenti. "Tess really has to think that you're going to Antar. You're the one who concocted the cover story about all you going over the edge in the Jeep. Besides, according to Kyle, all of you have enough money hidden away to buy a fleet of Jeeps."  
  
"Yeah, but," began Max.  
  
"No buts, Maxwell," Michael said, his voice firm. "The Jeep goes." Michael held out his hand, in the direction of the Jeep, and shot a burst of energy towards it. The Jeep began to roll towards the rim of the canyon, slowly at first, but gaining speed. It flew off the edge, and Michael shot another burst of energy at it, causing it to explode into flames.  
  
"Max, are you sure this is the only way?" Isabelle whispered to Max.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure," Max whispered back. "And even if I wasn't, it wouldn't matter. The Jeep's gone now."  
  
"Max, will you forget about the stupid Jeep!" snapped Isabelle. "This is the most dangerous phase of your stupid plan, don't you realize that!"  
  
"Isabelle, will you calm down," Max whispered in an angry tone. "Tess is going to suspect something."  
  
"Tess! She's busy playing invalid for Sheriff Valenti," Isabelle said contemptuously.  
  
Max turned and hugged his sister. "Don't worry Isabelle, everything's going to be fine."  
  
"How can you say that?" she demanded. "I haven't heard from Alex in hours. Something could be wrong."  
  
"Alex is fine, Isabelle," said Max. "I promise you that."  
  
"How can you say that," she sobbed. "You don't know that."  
  
"Actually, I do," said Max. He turned Isabelle slightly, and pointed to where Alex and Maria were hiding behind an outcropping of rocks. "They showed up a few minutes ago. Now come on. We have to make this last performance for Tess very convincing."  
  
Max and Isabelle turned and began to walk towards Michael who had retreated slightly when Max and Isabelle had begun to argue.   
  
"Are we ready?" Michael said softly.  
  
"As we'll ever be," said Max. "Maria's over there with Alex, so I'm going to bring Tess home, and hook up with the four of you later."  
  
"Where are Kyle and Ava?" asked Isabelle.  
  
"They're with Liz. We didn't know what Rath and Lonnie might pull, so they figured it might be safer to stay with her."  
  
"Let's do this," said Isabelle, suddenly purposeful again. "I want this over so I can get on with my life!"  
  
Alex and Maria watched while the Sheriff led Tess to his car. Max took one last look over his shoulder at the area that hid Alex and Maria before he climbed into the truck beside Tess. Michael and Isabelle watched in silence as the truck started and headed off down the dark road.  
  
As soon as the taillights faded from view, Maria came rushing out, pulling Alex along behind her.  
  
"Did it work?" Maria cried as she fell into Michael's arms. "Did she believe it?"  
  
"Yeah, she did," said Michael, looking closely at her. "Maria, are you okay?"  
  
"No, she's not, and neither am I for that matter," said Alex. "But we don't have time for that right now. We have to turn the two of you into Lonnie and Rath, and get you back to the Tumbleweed before Tess gets there."  
  
"Turn us into Lonnie and Rath?" asked Isabelle. "Why?"  
  
"Because they're dead, and chances are, Tess is going to head right over there as soon as she can get away from Max and the Sheriff," explained Alex.  
  
"What? How?" stammered Isabelle.  
  
"We killed them," said Maria. "But not before we learned some very interesting information. Come on, get in the Jetta, we have to hurry. Kyle is on his way over to the Tumbleweed to get rid of the bodies. He may need some help."  
  
"I thought Kyle and Ava were staying with Liz?" said Michael.  
  
"They were, and Ava still is," explained Alex. "We figured we might need some back up, so we called Kyle. He said he'd get his dad to help him get rid of, um, dispose of," he stopped.  
  
"The BODIES!" shouted Maria. "Just say it Alex, the bodies. We killed to people tonight, and that's never going to go away, so you might as well get used to it."  
  
"Maria, calm down!" shouted Michael, pulling her close to him. "Don't freak now. You need to focus. Let's sort this out. You two killed Lonnie and Rath, and now Jim and Kyle are supposed to go in and do clean up?"  
  
"Yeah," said Maria. "Tess came and told them they were going home, provided they could kill you and Isabelle before tomorrow."  
  
"Call Kyle and stop him," commanded Michael. "When Tess gets there, she's going to expect to see Lonnie and Rath, but she's also going to want proof that Isabelle and I are dead. We have to get over there, and turn those two into us, and us into them."  
  
"Damn," said Alex, as they raced towards the Jetta "I never even thought of that. Where the hell was my mind?"  
  
"You were busy wrapping your mind around that very important information we overheard," Maria said, looking at him pointedly.  
  
"What? Oh, wait, that's right. Isabelle, I have to tell you what we overheard."  
  
Michael threw the Jetta into gear and sped off into the night, while Alex explained to Isabelle.  
  
"So Vilondra didn't betray her world, it was Tess," finished Alex. "Tess came up with that fractured fairy tale to help drive a wedge between you, Max and Michael. She probably figured that if she drove you apart, it would be easier for her to work her way in closer to Max and comfort him."  
  
"Over Liz's dead body," laughed Maria, darkly. "But then again, that's one of the things we are trying to prevent, isn't it?"  
  
"Among other things," said Michael softly. "Call Kyle, will you and stop him before he gets to the Tumbleweed. Tell him to get his ass back to Ava and Liz, and not to leave her side until he hears from me or Max."  
  
Maria shot him an angry look, but picked up the cell phone and placed the call, as the Jetta sped off towards Roswell.


	73. Chapter Seventy Three On a Mission

**Disclaimer:** You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
**Chapter Seventy-Three** – _On a Mission_  
  
Liz waited until Ava stepped into the bathroom before she made her move. Without a look back, she climbed out her window, onto her rooftop patio, and then down the fire escape to the ground below. She looked around, and began to walk down the street. As soon as she was out of site of the CrashDown, she looked around once more and then stuck out her thumb.  
  
"Yes, I know hitch hiking is stupid, especially at night," she said out loud to herself and her unborn child. "But I have to get there somehow, and I figure I can pretty much handle anybody that tries to give me a hard time."  
  
Liz didn't have long to wait before a car slowed down and pulled off the side of the road just ahead of her. She approached the car cautiously, and waited until the driver rolled down the passenger side window.  
  
"Did you need a ride, Miss?" asked the elderly gentleman from the driver's seat.  
  
"Yes, please," said Liz.   
  
"Where are you headed?"  
  
"Well, it's kind of a scavenger hunt for school. There is a large sandstone outcropping out in the desert, and I'm supposed to go there and find the next clue."  
  
"It sounds like fun," said the man. Why don't you climb in, and I'll give you a ride." He leaned across the seat and opened the passenger door for Liz.  
  
"Um, if it's all the same with you, sir, I'd rather ride in the back," Liz said.  
  
"You're a smart young lady," said the man with a chuckle. "Makes no difference to me. Climb in, and we'll get you going on your scavenger hunt."  
  
"Thank you," said Liz, climbing into the back seat. "I really appreciate this."  
  
"So, what kind of scavenger hunt is this?" asked the man as he drove Liz out into the desert. "Seems kind of peculiar, if you ask me. Sending young kids out into the desert alone. It's just pure crazy."  
  
"No, really, it's a well organized school activity," said Liz, improvising. "See, we're supposed to work in teams, but my partner was being a real jerk, and trying to take all the credit for herself, so I just thought I'd beat her at her own game, and get to the next meeting place ahead of her."  
  
"Well, it surely does sound as if you're showing some initiative," said the man. "I'm Jake Cartwell, by the way."  
  
"Nice to meet you," said Liz. "I'm Liz Smythe. Oh, Mr. Cartwell, pull over right over there. That's where the next clue is hidden."  
  
"I wish you much luck on your little scavenger hunt, Miss Smythe," said Mr. Cartwell. And please, don't make a habit out of accepting rides from strangers. It isn't safe you know."  
  
"Thank you very much, sir," said Liz as she slid out of the car. "And I promise, no more hitch hiking. You're right, it isn't safe at all."  
  
Liz stepped away from the car and watched while the blue sedan sped off down the road. As soon as it was out of site, she climbed the path to the sandstone outcropping, and activated the door.   
  
She stepped into the cool chamber, and the door slid close behind her she climbed into the chamber that housed the Granolith and stared at it. She pulled her backpack off of her back and opened it, and pulled out a translation of the destiny book.  
  
"May I help you, Your Majesty," said Che'koth, stepping from the shadows of the Granolith.  
  
"Can you activate this thing?" asked Liz, motioning towards the Granolith.  
  
"Yes, it is recharged enough to be activated," answered Che'koth. "May I inquire as to why you wish for it to be activated?"  
  
"No," said Liz.  
  
"Your Majesty, I must urge you not to do anything rash."  
  
"I'm not doing anything rash, and don't call me Your Majesty. My name is Liz," cried Liz.  
  
"I'm sorry Your Maj - Liz," Che'koth said. "I do not mean to make you angry, but I do not think it is wise for you to activate the Granolith at this time."  
  
"Oh, and why is that?" demanded Liz.  
  
"For one reason," began Che'koth. "I am unsure of the harm it may cause your unborn child."  
  
Liz thought for a moment started to speak, and reconsidered. "Fine, she said finally. "You're probably right, but now what? I'm stuck out here with no way to get back to town."  
  
"May I suggest, Majesty – Liz," he amended. "That you just wait here. I believe the king plans on arriving sometime tonight."  
  
"Yeah, fine, whatever," snapped Liz. "I just wanted to end this thing, now."  
  
"How?" asked Che'koth.  
  
"I don't know, really," admitted Liz. "I had some grandiose plan to go to Antar, and blast the hell out of Kivar."  
  
"Admirable," said Che'koth. "But not entirely practical, as you are not familiar with Antar."  
  
"Yeah, well, I wasn't thinking rationally," said Liz. "Let's just blame this on pregnancy hormones and never mention it again."  
  
"As you wish," said Che'koth with a slight bow.   
  
"What do you mean, she's missing?" Michael shouted into his cell phone. "How could she be missing?"  
  
He listened for a few minutes, disconnected the call, and looked at the others in the car.  
  
"Liz is missing," he said. "Ava said she only left her alone for a minute, and when she came back, Liz was gone.  
  
"Oh my God!" cried Maria. "How could Ava let that happen? Where was she, why did she leave Liz alone like that? What was she thinking?"  
  
"She was thinking she had to go to the bathroom, Maria, now calm down," said Michael. "Ava said there wasn't any sign of a struggle, and she didn't hear anything either, so that leads me to believe that Liz left by herself. Now we just have to figure out where she would have gone."  
  
Maria, Alex and Isabelle all stared at Michael as if he had two heads.  
  
"You're kidding, right?" asked Isabelle. "She went to go kill Tess of course."  
  
"We just have to figure out where she went," said Maria. "But first, we have to get you and Isabelle to the Tumbleweed so you can do the presto chango with Rath and Lonnie."  
  
"Then Maria, Kyle, Ava and I can try and track down Liz," continued Alex. "We need to find her before she tries to take Tess down."  
  
Michael pulled out his phone and tossed it to Maria. "Call Ava," he said. "Tell her you'll meet her in thirty minutes, and see if she can get a hold of Kyle too."  
  
"Should we tell Max?" asked Isabelle, as Maria rapidly dialed Ava's phone.  
  
"Hell no," said Michael. "One of them on a rampage is enough. Max would go ballistic if he found out what Liz was doing."  
  
"And, knowing my brother, he'd totally blow off this stupid plan of his to go and rescue Liz," interjected Isabelle.  
  
"Not that Liz needs any rescuing," added Alex. "My money's on Liz. If she comes across Tess before Max does, she'll kill her."  
  
"But what if Tess kills – " began Michael.  
  
"Don't even say it, Space Boy. Don't say it, don't think it, just drive," said Maria, her voice trembling as she stared out into the darkness.


	74. Chapter Seventy Four Nondeparture

**Disclaimer:** You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
**Chapter Seventy-Four** – _Nondeparture_  
  
Liz awoke, and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. She yawned, as her sleep fogged mind struggled to remember where she was. Finally, she remembered. She was in the pod chamber. Che'koth had helped her calm down, and not do anything stupid. After she had calmed down, he suggested that she try and get some rest, while he went to town and told Max where she was. She'd lain down in the chamber, which used to house her husband, and drifted off to sleep.  
  
She slid out of the chamber, and folded the blanket that Che'koth had covered her with while she slept. Liz began to wander aimlessly around the pod chamber when she began to worry.  
  
"Something doesn't feel right," she said to the empty room. She looked around the room for a place to hid, and remembered Maria telling her that she once hid behind the pods. Quickly Liz crossed the room, and wedged herself in behind the pods, and held her breath. The door to the pod chamber slid open, and Tess walked in, followed by Lonnie.  
  
"Will you hurry up!" Tess said. "The last thing we need is for some stupid hick driving down the road to see you carrying in the bodies."  
  
At the word bodies, Liz exhaled with a loud whoosh of air. She covered her mouth with her hands, and hopped that they hadn't heard her. She watched as Rath walked in and unceremoniously dumped Michael's dead body on the ground. Liz shoved her hand in her mouth to smother the scream that threatened to explode.  
  
"Go get the other one," Tess demanded as she looked around the chamber. Without a word, Lonnie and Rath went outside, and came back. This time Michael carried Isabelle's lifeless body in his arms. He dumped it on the ground next to Rath's body.  
  
"Anything else, Queenie?" Rath spat out contemptuously.  
  
Tess ignored him for a moment, and made her way over to the pod chamber where Liz had slept. She picked up the blanket that Liz had folded so carefully and looked at it.  
  
"Yeah, she said, after several minutes had passed. "Go move the car behind the rocks. I don't want anybody to know we're here right now."  
  
"Your wish is my command, Queenie," said Rath. "C'mon Lonnie, let's go move the car for her majesty.  
  
Tess waited until the left, then went to the control panel beside the door and passed her hand over it.   
  
"You can come out now," she said to the room. I know you're here, and I'm not leaving. There's no way out, and those two idiots can't get back in."  
  
Liz tried to move further back behind the pod chambers, but her burgeoning stomach wouldn't allow it.  
  
"I know you're here," taunted Tess. "So come out come out wherever you are.' As she spoke, she walked around the room, trying to find the place that hid the intruder. She didn't know _WHO_ was here, but she knew they didn't belong here. This was _her_ chamber, and in it was the secret to getting home. Max had promised her they were going home, and she wasn't going to let some intruder stop it from happening. She just needed to find where they were hiding, and then kill them.   
  
"Yoo hoo," she called in a singsong voice. "Ally ally oxen free! Oh, come on, if you're not going to come out when I call home free, will you at least give me a clue?" As she spoke the word clue, she pointed her hand at the pod chambers and used her powers to push it away from the wall, revealing Liz hiding behind it.  
  
"Well, well, well," said Tess. "What do we have here?"  
  
"Oh, Please," said Liz. "Spare me the dramatics. Theater obviously isn't your strong suit."  
  
"Stand up bitch," snarled Tess. "I want the pleasure of watching your body crumple to the ground when I kill you."  
  
Liz stood up, her hands placed protectively over her protruding stomach.  
  
"You bitch!" screamed Tess. "You really are pregnant. Who is the father, Kyle?"  
  
"Tess, how can you be so stupid?" said Liz. "You know whose baby this is. Max is the father, and my husband."  
  
"You lie!" screamed Tess. "Max loves me, not you! I made sure of it. He doesn't want you; he wants me. We're going home, to Antar."  
  
"God, you sicken me, Tess," said Liz. "You are so warped, you don't know which of your lies to believe. You got so caught up in the world you created that you don't know what's real any more. Well, I'll tell you what is real. I'm real, and Max is real, and our love is real. Do you get it yet?"  
  
"No, you dumped Max, for Kyle, and _I_ was there to comfort him," said Tess.  
  
"Don't you mean, you created a mind warp to convince me to dump Max?" said Liz. "Well news flash you stupid jerk, it didn't work. None of it did."  
  
"How, why?" said Tess.  
  
"How, why?" snapped Liz. "God, you really are pathetic, aren't you," said Liz. "Do you really need it all spelled out for you, well fine, I'll do it. We figured out how to break through your mind warps, _AND_ we figured out how to mind warp you. All those time you thought you were with Max, well it was just a fantasy in your feeble little mind."  
  
"No, Max loves me," said Tess. "He does, and we're having a baby, **not** you."  
  
"Wrong Tess," said Liz. "You're grand night of passion at the observatory, well it never happened. It was a mind warp."  
  
"No, it happened, it did!" insisted Tess.   
  
"Fine, if that's the way you want it," said Liz. She closed her eyes and concentrated.  
  
"Max," said Tess. "Tell her, tell her you love me, and not her!"  
  
"Love you?" said Max. "I never loved you, kissing you made me want to puke. You are disgusting."  
  
"Max, why are you saying these things to me?" Tess cried. "You love _me_."  
  
"I don't love you, Tess, in fact, I don't do anything, because I don't really exist," said the image of Max as he began to fade away.  
  
"How the hell did you do that?" Tess yelled. "What did you do to Max?"  
  
"I didn't do anything, Tess. He isn't real. Don't you get it_yet_?" said Liz. "It wasn't real. It was all a mind warp."  
  
"You can't mind warp," said Tess. "Your stupid human brains can't do it."  
  
"Well, you see, Tess, that's where you're wrong. Very very wrong," said Liz. She backed away from Tess, slowly, but never allowed her eyes to leave Tess' face. "See, the thing is, you are just as human as I am. Yes, you do use more of your brain than the average human. Well, I'm not too sure that _you_ do, but your average Antarian does. The funny thing is, when Max healed me, it speeded up the development of my brain or something. So you see, I have powers too, and the Max you just saw was a mind warp. I'm not as adept as mind warping as you, but I'm getting better. See, the thing is, Tess, I would never ever use a power like that for evil, like you did. You've done nothing but try and destroy people that wanted to help you. We wanted to be your friend, Tess, but all you had to have it **your** way."  
  
"You're lying," said Tess. "You don't have any powers. You're nothing, Liz Parker, just some weak worthless human. I'm going to kill you now, and you can rot in hell with Michael and Isabelle."  
  
Tess raised her hand and shot a bolt of energy at Liz, but Liz was able to raise a shield, and the bolt of energy deflected off of her, and hit the bodies on the floor.  
  
"I told you," said Liz, her voice smug. "Oh, and by the way, it's Liz Parker Evans now. I told you, Max is my husband."  
  
"You – you did this. You mind warped Max to make him love you," said Tess. "Max and I are destined to be together, or we were, until _you_ came along."  
  
"God, you really are sick, Tess," said Liz. "You just don't get it. Max and I loved each other long before you came along. What happened on Antar was another time, another life. Maybe Zan and Ava belonged together, but you and Max don't. He doesn't love you Tess, and he never did. Now why don't you just leave? Leave Roswell, and leave all of us alone."  
  
"I'm leaving Roswell," said Tess. "I'm going back to Antar, with Max, Rath and Lonnie."  
  
"Fine, leave, go back to Antar, just leave Max and I alone!" yelled Liz. She closed her eyes again, concentrating as hard as she could.  
  
"Tess, I was your friend," said Isabelle. "Why did you kill me?"  
  
"Tess, you helped me learn about my powers," said Michael. "How could you do this to me?"  
  
"Stop it!" cried Tess. "Just stop it!" She closed her eyes and scrunched up her nose and concentrated. Smiling triumphantly, she opened her eyes and looked at Liz.  
  
"It's not working," Tess. "You're mind warps can't touch me any longer. We figured out how to stop them a long time ago. For some reason, platinum blocks the mind warps. We all wear platinum jewelry all the time. In fact, my wedding band is made of platinum," said Liz, holding up her left hand."  
  
"I took all of those away," said Tess. "I replaced them with duplicate pieces of jewelry."  
  
"Yeah, and as usual, you were really inefficient," said Liz, backing slowly towards the entrance of the Granolith Chamber. "You screwed up with Michael's ring. Maria figured it out. How about that, Tess, another of us 'lowly humans' figured out what you were up to. One thing we all wondered about, though, was how _YOU_ knew about it."  
  
"Nescado told me a long time ago," said Tess. "He thought it might be useful someday. How did you figure it out?"  
  
"Oh, we all have to have our little secrets, don't we," said Liz. She threw up a shield to deflect the blast that Tess aimed at her, and dove into the Granolith Chamber. She tried to activate the panel to lock Tess out, but she wasn't quick enough, and Tess followed her into the chamber.  
  
"The Granolith," said Tess, her voice filled with awe. "It really exists. Nescado told me it did."  
  
"But he never told you where it was," said Liz. "Why do you think that is?"  
  
"He didn't know," said Tess. "He was my protector, but the Queen had doubts about his loyalty, and never told him."  
  
"The Queen is smart," said Liz. "Oh, and speaking of the Queen, Max knows that the whole hologram thing you created is false, but back to the Granolith. Do you know what it does? Never mind, don't tax your little brain, I'll tell you. One of the things it does is help the members of the Royal Family find their soul mates. Oh, and do I need to tell you who it picked for Max?"  
  
"**SHUT UP!** screamed Tess. "I don't want to hear any more of your lies."  
  
"My lies?" asked Liz, incredulously. "My lies? Tess, will you come out of the dream world now. Real life is calling. Max doesn't love you, he never did. Wake up and smell the Tabasco Sauce, will you?"  
  
"He loves me!" shouted Tess.  
  
"No, I don't," said Max entering the Granolith Chamber behind Tess.  
  
"Max," said Liz, moving forward.  
  
"Stop it!" shouted Tess, hitting Liz with a bolt of energy.  
  
Liz, distracted by the appearance of Max, didn't put up her energy shield, and got hit by the bolt. With a scream she flew back against the Granolith, which began to hum.  
  
"Liz!" shouted Max. "You bitch, why did you do that to her?"  
  
"You don't love her, you love me. We belong together. It's our destiny."  
  
"I don't love you, Tess, you need to accept that," said Max.  
  
"No, you need to accept that you're going back to Antar, with **ME**, Max. With me, Rath and Lonnie."  
  
"Rath and Lonnie are dead, Tess," said Max. Those are their bodies out there."  
  
"You idiot, that's Isabelle and Michael."  
  
"I'm afraid not," said Michael, walking into the chamber, followed closely by Isabelle.  
  
"You are just too gullible, _Queenie,_" said Isabelle, sounding like Lonnie.  
  
"No, it isn't possible," cried Tess. "Lonnie and Rath killed you."  
  
"No, Alex and I killed Lonnie and Rath," said Maria, walking into the chamber with Alex. "Keep up, will ya Tess?"  
  
"You-you're dead," said Tess, pointing at Alex. "I know you're dead. I didn't mean to kill you. Really I didn't, it just happened. His mind was weakened by the mind warps." She turned to Max. "You have to believe me, Max. I didn't mean to kill Alex."  
  
"The only mind that's been weakened by mind warps is yours, Tess," said Kyle, walking in with Ava. "It's a funny thing, Ava has all the same powers as you. Smile, you're on mind warp camera."  
  
"No, this can't be happening," said Tess.  
  
"It is," said Max. He looked behind Tess to Liz, watching as she pulled herself up off of the floor. "I don't love you, I never have, and I never will. Accept it, will you?"  
  
"If I can't have you, then nobody can," said Tess, pointing her hand at Max.  
  
"Wrong again, bitch," said Liz. "Say goodbye!" she pointed her hand at Tess and blasted her with a bolt of energy. At the sound of Liz's voice, Tess spun around, and the bolt of energy caught her directly in the chest. Without a word, she collapsed on the floor, her sightless eyes staring at the Granolith.  
  
"Liz!" cried Max, stepping over Tess' lifeless body. "Are you alright? She hit you, didn't she?"  
  
"Yeah, but junior here, threw up his own shield. Can we get rid of her body please? I never want to see her disgusting face again."  
  
Ava gave a small cry, and ran from the Granolith Chamber back into the chamber that housed the incubation pods.  
  
"Ava wait!" Liz cried, running after her. She knelt down next to where Ava knelt on the floor. "Ava, stop, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. Don't you understand, you don't look anything like Tess. You have an inner beauty that shines through and lights up. She didn't have that. All you could see in her was the darkness that lived inside of her."  
  
"I- its just so hard," said Ava. "I know how all of you feel about her, and every time I look in the mirror, I see her face."  
  
"That's funny," said Liz. "Because every time I look at you, I see your heart. Ava, you have become one of my dearest friends, and I hate to think that my careless remarks hurt you. Will you forgive me?"  
  
The two girls hugged awkwardly on the floor. Ava pulled away first and stood up and held out a hand to help Liz up.  
  
"Come on," she said. "Let's get the others and figure out what to do next."  
  
They began to walk towards the Granolith chamber when suddenly; Liz clutched her stomach, and sank back down on the floor.  
  
"Get Max," she gasped.


	75. Chapter Seventy Five The End

**Disclaimer:** You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
**Chapter Seventy-Five** _The End_  
  
"Oh, it hurts so bad," moaned Liz. She curled her body up into a fetal position on the floor of the pod chamber and moaned again. "Max!" she screamed.  
  
Max ran into the pod chamber and fell to the floor next to Liz. Behind him, Michael, Maria and the others filed in silently.   
  
"It's all right, Liz. Don't worry, everything's going to be all right." He cradled her head in his lap and brushed the hair from her eyes.  
  
"It's not going to be all right," cried Liz, her eyes glazed with pain. "Something's wrong, Max. I think it may be too late."  
  
Liz cried out again, and tried to pull her knees in closer to her body. Without a word, Max slid his arms underneath her and lifted her up.  
  
"Oh, God!" he shouted when he saw the pool of blood on the floor where Liz had been lying."  
  
"Max?" Liz said faintly. "It's the baby, isn't it?"  
  
"No, it can't be," said Max. He rushed over to the incubation pods and laid her out, and covered her with the blanket. He put his hands on her stomach, closed his eyes and concentrated deeply. When he opened them, and looked at the others, they could see the anguish that filled his soul.  
  
"Max?" Liz whispered. "It's too late, isn't it?"  
  
Max didn't say anything; he simply nodded as tears of sorrow streamed down his face.  
  
"He saved me, Max, our baby saved me. I didn't deflect Tess' energy bolt in time, and he stopped it, and he died because of it," cried Liz.  
  
"Liz, he – he would have died anyhow," Max said, softly. "If the bolt had hit you and killed you, he would have died. He gave you a chance to live."  
  
"I don't want to live," cried Liz. "Not without our baby. I- I." Liz's body stiffened, and suddenly, she began to shave violently. Behind him, Max heard Maria's scream of terror.  
  
"Do something, damn it!" yelled Kyle. "She's having a seizure or something."  
  
The sound of Maria's scream, and Kyle's angry voice snapped Max out of anguish. He placed his hands on Liz and focused as he had never focused before. He saw the area inside of her that was torn and bleeding. His hands heated up as he sent a healing light, and love into the dying body of his wife, urging her to fight, to live.  
  
Several minutes passed, and Liz's convulsions slowly ended, and she opened her eyes and looked up to see her husband's worried visage above her.  
  
"Maybe this time, you shouldn't have saved me," she said to him.  
  
"Liz, we've lost something," said Max. "I know that I hurt so bad inside, and I also know that it can't begin to come close to the way you must be feeling inside. I couldn't lose you, too. Our baby is gone, and there isn't anything that can bring him back. But Liz, if you had died too, I don't know what I would have done."  
  
"It hurts Max, I hurt so bad inside right now," cried Liz. "I didn't know anybody could ever feel this bad before. I don't want to feel this way, I want it to stop."  
  
"It will Liz, in time it will. I don't know that it will ever completely go away, but it won't always hurt this bad."  
  
"Liz, chica?" said a tentative Maria from across the chamber. "Can I hug you?"  
  
Liz didn't say anything; she just nodded and opened her arms to her best friend. Maria ran across the chamber and held her friend tightly.  
  
"Oh chica, I'm so sorry," Maria cried.  
  
"I know," whispered Liz.   
  
Maria's actions seemed to set off a reaction in the others and within moments, both Isabelle and Ava were kneeling on the floor beside Liz, while Kyle, Alex and Michael stood helplessly behind them.  
  
Liz sobbed brokenly, cradled in Max's arms, while Maria rubbed her back. Slowly, the sobs began to subside, as Liz struggled to compose herself.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said. "I don't know why I acted that way. I'm okay now."  
  
"Liz, sweetie, you don't have to be okay. Not for us," said Maria.  
  
"Majesty?" Che'koth said quietly from across the chamber. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but the Granolith is ready. It is time."  
  
"Time, time for what?" asked Liz, her eyes filled with fear. "You're not leaving? Not now. God, I couldn't stand it if you left, Max."  
  
"Liz. Liz, calm down," Max said, holding her tightly. "I'm not going anywhere. None of us are. Not now, anyhow. Che'koth is going back, and he's going to take Tess, Rath and Lonnie's bodies back to Kivar."  
  
"Oh," said Liz, quietly. She pulled away from Max, and stood up carefully, and started to walk towards the Granolith chamber.  
  
"Liz? Do you want to wait out here with me?" Ava asked.  
  
"No," said Liz, her voice resolute. "Tess took something very precious from me today. I think I need to see this, so that I can really know that it's over."  
  
The group moved silently into the Granolith chamber. Max nodded to Kyle, Michael and Alex, and the four moved to Rath's body.  
  
"Wait," said Maria. She knelt down beside Rath and pressed her hand to his face, and immediately his appearance changed from being an exact duplicate of Michael back to its original look. "I couldn't stand the thought of Michael's face going back there," she admitted sheepishly, looking at her friends.  
  
"I'm right there with you, Maria," said Alex, kneeling down beside her. Within seconds, Lonnie's body no longer resembled Isabelle, and instead resembled the street hardened woman that she was. When he was finished, Alex stepped back and looked at his friends. "Let's do this," he said.  
  
Max turned to Che'koth and nodded and Che'koth stepped up to the Granolith. He passed his hand over what looked like a piece of sheet metal on a pedestal next to the Granolith. The metal panel began to vibrate and slid back to reveal a control panel. Che'koth pressed several buttons on the panel, and the lights inside the Granolith changed from a glowing purple to a bright green, and an opening appeared in the Granolith itself.   
  
Che'koth stepped away from the panel and went to stand in front of Max.  
  
"Majesty," he said, bowing low over Max's hand. "It was an honor to assist you here on Earth."  
  
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that," joked Max.  
  
"Max, you are a true ruler," said Che'koth. "Antar is lucky to call you king. Take care of yourself, and your warrior wife. Your losses are great, but love will see you through them."  
  
Che'koth took Liz's hand in his, and knelt down before her. He didn't say anything, but as he stood back up, he looked deeply into Liz's eyes, and smiled ever so slightly. Liz smiled back, and Che'koth released her hand and stepped back.  
  
"I am pleased and honored to know you all," Che'koth said as he climbed into the Granolith. Michael and Kyle followed behind, carrying Rath's body. Max and Alex followed behind them, laying Lonnie's body next to Rath's. When they stepped out of the Granolith, Michael and Kyle took Tess' body and laid it on the floor next to Rath.  
  
Max stepped over to the control panel and pressed a series of buttons. The door disappeared, and the green light turned to silver, then to a white so bright that they had to close their eyes. When the light subsided, Che'koth and the bodies were gone.  
  
"Well, she got what she always wanted," said Liz.  
  
"What?" asked Kyle.  
  
"Tess. She always wanted to go back to Antar. Now she has," said Liz.  
  
They began to file out of the Granolith Chamber, one by one. Max waited until everyone had left and turned to Liz.  
  
"What was that between you and Che'koth?" he asked.  
  
Nothing, really," said Liz. "Apparently, Che'koth has a gift that he never shared with us. He can communicate nonverbally."  
  
"And he did this with you, just now?" asked Max. "What did he say?"  
  
"That at first he wondered if I was strong enough to be the wife of a king. Now, he wonders if you're strong enough to be my husband," she said with a small laugh.  
  
Max smiled as he led his wife out of the Granolith chamber, though the pod chamber and out into the desert night. They stood with their friends, staring up into the starry sky.  
  
"What do we do now, Max?" asked Isabelle.  
  
"Live," he said, hugging Liz tightly. "Just live."  
  
The End


End file.
